Last Chance
by CatsWithBigBows
Summary: Sofia is in constant fear ever since her mother passed away and her father began acting different. She seeks help from Cedric who hopefully will help the family, but Sofia feels like nothing will ever get better.
1. Chapter 1 - Transporto

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First

Chapter 1: Transporto

Sofia locked herself in her room, crying silently. She hoped that she would be safe in here…at least for a little while. She wished that she could stay in this room for the rest of her life, but sadly, she had princess duties to attend to. She was too scared to go back out; she couldn't face him. This wasn't the first time he had done something like this. She bit her lip as she slowly sank to the ground. _No…_she thought…_I am never going back out there…he'll hurt me again_. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Sofia quickly wiped her eyes, as she stood up and said, "Um, come in!"

It was Cedric. He seemed displeased which made her stomach feel uneasy. He glanced down at the princess who smiled weakly at him, and then he turned away. Sofia was wondering why he looked so upset, so she spoke, "Mr. Cedric…what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" he asked as his voice rose which scared Sofia even more, "You ask me to help you with your magic lesson, and then you don't even show up! I looked everywhere, trying to find out where you might have gone, but of course, I should have just went here in the first place. You're in your bedroom, doing absolutely nothing!"

Sofia glanced at the ground, then replied wearily, "I'm sorry, Mr. Cedric, I…I…I was busy. I had something important to do." She hated lying to him, but out of fear, she would do anything it took to keep the secret.

"Oh, goodness, Sofia!" Cedric exclaimed, "Why couldn't you just tell me, dear?" His voice started to grow softer and gentler and hearing his voice like that gave comfort to Sofia. However, Sofia did not know how to respond, so she wrapped her arms around him, trying to feel happy again.

"Princess Sofia…what ever is the matter?" Cedric asked, knowing something was wrong.

"Oh, nothing, I just need a hug," she told him, trying hard to hold back her tears. She held on still, hoping that that moment would never end. She always felt protected with her sorcerer, but she couldn't tell him what had happened.

Cedric patted her back, then let go of her and said, "…Okay, well, if there's anything you want to talk about, you can tell me…but, um, now it's time for dinner. So we'll just have a double lesson tomorrow and don't forget, okay?" He knew she was not going to tell what was wrong, but he knew that she would eventually tell him.

Sofia giggled and said, "I won't forget, I promise…" She wanted to ask him to go to dinner with her, but she believed that it would have been odd. She didn't want him to worry about her anymore. So, he waved goodbye and she watched him leave. _Dinner_…Sofia thought. She would have to see him, but because of Cedric, she got some strength to go to dinner.

Before she left, she looked at herself in the mirror. She couldn't believe that she had stayed in this castle for six years. It seemed like yesterday when her ten year old self entered the castle, amazed at everything and everyone. Now, she was used to it and nothing was as special anymore. Of course, Sofia never changed; she was still that kind and loyal girl from six years ago. However, she was not as happy as she was. Things started getting tough when she was fourteen; her mother had passed away from an illness and that's when her step-father started to act…different. Baileywick, the castle steward, and Cedric, the royal sorcerer, had become very close friends which made Sofia extremely happy. Other than them becoming friends, Sofia was constantly in a state of fear.

Sofia turned away from the mirror and opened her bedroom door. She hastily walked to the dining area where her step-father, King Roland II, and her two step-siblings, Princess Amber and Prince James were eating dinner. Amber smiled at Sofia who returned the smile. Sofia glanced over at James who also smiled. Then she glanced at her father who did not seem to do the same as the others. Sofia noticed that James and Amber were not as happy as they were when her mother was around. It made her even sadder knowing that her siblings were not happy either.

"Hello," Sofia said, as she sat down at the table with her family.

"Hello, Sofia," King Roland said, taking a bite of his food, "Why are you late to dinner?"

"Oh, um," Sofia started, "I was talking to Mr. Cedric about my sorcery test on Thursday. It's very important and…"

He cut her off and said bluntly, "Well, that kind of thing could wait after dinner. Since you were late to dinner, I want you to stay in your room for the rest of the night. No visiting Cedric and no visiting those little animal friends you have. You're sixteen. You should not be pretending to speak to animals. It's extremely childish."

"Yes, dad, I'm sorry," Sofia said and then took a sip of her water. She glanced over at Baileywick who seemed upset that she got in trouble for such a silly thing. He mouthed "I'm sorry" to her and she nodded her head as in saying "it's okay".

Once dinner was over, Sofia went straight to her room and decided to change into her nightgown since she wasn't going anywhere the rest of the night. Once she finished changing, she got her training wand and her spell books that Cedric had lent her. She flipped through the pages, trying to absorb every single word in the book. She hoped that one day she could be a good sorcerer like her teacher. She wasn't interested in being a queen or even a princess anymore; she found much more happiness in doing magic, then approving letters. Suddenly, she saw a grey figure move toward her window and laughed when she saw who it was.

"Clover!" she exclaimed, as she rushed toward the window and opened it.

"Princess!" he shouted back. He stuffed a carrot in his mouth and swallowed rather loudly which made Sofia giggle. "Man, your father's in such a bad mood all the time."

Sofia sighed and said, "I know…I wish he wasn't so angry. I liked him a lot more when mom was alive. Now, he's scary." Speaking about him gave Sofia chills. Clover saw that she was uncomfortable, so he changed the subject.

"You practicing sorcery?" Clover asked, hoping that she would feel better by talking about her favorite activity.

"I'm just looking right now…"Sofia answered, but then something caught her eye. There was a piece of folded paper sticking out of the spell book. She pulled it out and opened the paper that said "Transporto". "Hey, Clover…Look at this."

He stared at it and then said, "Uh…yeah, it's pretty cool." He was quite confused on why Sofia was so interested in a simple spell. It wasn't any different from any other spell.

"It says 'Think of the place you want to go, then say the magic word, "Transporto"'," Sofia said, "Maybe I could try it out!" She reached for her wand, but then Clover hopped in her lap.

"Sof, I don't think that's a good idea, if your dad found out that you were gone, he would get so upset. He could…you…know…well, you know what he would do to you. Please don't do this," Clover pleaded but Sofia shook her head and laughed.

"Oh, Clover, I'll be…" Sofia began to say but there was a knock at her door. Her eyes widened and her heart began pounding so hard, she couldn't even hear the words Clover was trying to say to her. She put Clover under her bed and placed the wand around her bed covers. There was another knock and this time it was harsher. Sofia opened the door to find her father there, looking at her with disapproving eyes.

"Talking to that dumb rabbit again, huh?" He started off and grabbed her arm, "Huh? Answer me, Sofia!"

Sofia was frozen; she could not speak or move. She was terrified that he would try to hurt Clover. She began sweating so hard that she felt like she was drowning. Her eyes began to fill up with water, but she had to hold back her tears for her father could not see her cry. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"Fine, you want to play that game," he said angrily and he picked her up and threw her on the bed. Sofia began to scream out of fear, but he clasped his hand over her mouth. "You will not scream or I will find that stupid rabbit of yours and kill him."

That's when Sofia could not take it anymore and the tears began dropping out of her eyes. He laughed at her suffering which made her even more scared. Then, Sofia got an idea. She felt around her bed and the tips of her fingers felt the wand. She kicked her father off of her, ran to the wand, and with shaky hands, grabbed the wand underneath of the covers.

_Cedric's workshop_…she thought and then said, "Transporto." The last thing she saw was her father, screaming at her. Then suddenly, she landed in Cedric's workshop. She looked around just to make sure it was the right place. All of a sudden, she heard footsteps and then she saw a shadow.

"Sofia? What…what are you doing here? I didn't even hear you come up the stairs…the door didn't even…" Cedric said baffled.

"Mr. Cedric!" Sofia exclaimed with tears in her eyes. She ran towards him and hugged him tightly.


	2. Chapter 2 - Sharing Secrets

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First

Note: Hey! Thanks for all the nice comments! I was literally running around the house when I saw them; I was so excited! I was actually kind of worried about this story. I hope people know that I don't hate Roland, haha. Thanks again. :3

Chapter 2: Sharing Secrets

"Sofia…" Cedric said confused, returning the hug, "You didn't answer my question, Princess, why are you here?" He pulled Sofia away from him, so he could look at her better. He noticed the tears and worry in her eyes, then he looked down and saw her wand in her hand. "Oh, you must have used the 'Transporto' spell…but why? Sofia, please tell me, I can't stand to see you like this."

"Mr. Cedric, please don't make me tell you…" Sofia sobbed, wishing she could be hugged again to feel safer, "I can't tell you…I…" Her sobs swallowed her words and she felt like she couldn't stand anymore, so she forcefully sank to the ground. She shoved her hands in her face to try to hide her tears, but she knew Cedric was already worried.

Cedric lowered himself to the ground as well. He wrapped his arms around his terrified apprentice and held her, as he rubbed her back gently. He tried everything he possibly could to make her feel better, but he felt like he wasn't doing enough. Even his pet raven, Wormwood, flew down and landed on Sofia's shoulder to try to offer some comfort. Cedric thought she would never stop weeping which worried him greatly. He's never seen her this upset before.

He had noticed a change in her ever since her mother died; she become more vigilant and had an anxious look on her face whenever she stepped out of her room. He had noticed bruises on her arms and legs, but he only thought it was from her gym day at school. He began to change that thought a couple of months ago, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions. He also noticed that she was extremely clingy around him; she often would hug him more or spend more time with him. Of course, he didn't mind when Sofia would spend time with him, but he was concerned that she might be lonely or even frightened by something or someone.

Sofia continued to sob; she fought to stop the tears from flowing out, but they persisted to keep falling out. She knew it was time to tell him; she didn't want him to suffer from feeling worried all the time. She gathered up all her strength and stood up with wobbly legs. Cedric helped her stand while he stood up as well. Sofia held onto his robe for extra support, and then breathed slowly. She sniffed a little and then said, "I need to tell you something."

Cedric nodded and said, "Alright, go on, I'm listening." Cedric's heart felt it was about to leap out of his chest. He knew that it was strange that he was a little excited to hear it; he's waited months to know what was going on with his student. Thinking that this secret might take a while, he pulled up his chair and sat down, then he flicked his wand and another chair appeared for Sofia. She thanked him and sat down, feeling a little more strength in her body.

Sofia gulped and began to say in a shaky voice, "Well…things have changed a lot in the castle. I…I'm sure you know that, you know…ever since my mother died," She waited for Cedric to say something, but he didn't, so she continued, "Um…my dad, he's different."

Sofia stopped and looked down, feeling too scared to speak anymore, so Cedric spoke up, saying, "And what do you mean by different?"

Sofia couldn't speak; she sat there, attempting to make a word fall out of her mouth, but nothing came out. The tears in her eyes started falling down even faster. She could feel each one slide down her cheeks and plop onto her nightgown. She nervously began to twiddle her thumbs and by this, Cedric knew that she was going to have a hard time spiting it out.

"It's okay, Sofia," he said reassuringly, "You can tell me."

Then Sofia lost it, she stood up, her face red and her tears were lying along her cheeks. Through her sobs, she cried out, "Mr. Cedric, my father doesn't love me anymore! He hits me, he threatens me, he's cruel to me, he's cruel to my pets, he gets so mad at every little thing I do, I can never do anything right in his eyes, I'm not wanted by him!" Sofia sobs became louder which made Cedric stand up and try to calm her down, but she pushed him away, "I'm not smart enough for him, I'm not pretty enough for him, he say I'm nothing, he…thinks…he…"

"Sofia…Sofia…" Cedric said calmly as he grabbed Sofia. She sobbed into his robe once more, but this time, her cries sounded more like screams as if she was going through the memory of being tortured by her father.

Cedric thought for a bit and said, "Maybe you could try to talk to him. You should tell him how you feel…?" He felt like he was giving the worst advice ever. He never was good at that sort of thing; no one ever asked for his take on things.

"No, I can't do that. He'll try to hurt me or worse, Clover. He told me he would kill him. I can't let that happen to him," Sofia said in a panicked voice. Why would Cedric want her to tell her father that he's not treating her kindly? Every time she speaks to him, he explodes with anger. She thought Cedric was being ridiculous.

"Well, then I will," he said, squeezing his wand in his hand. He never went anywhere without his wand and he was almost positive that he would need it this time.

"No…no…Mr. Cedric, you wouldn't," Sofia said with her heart racing wildly. If her father found out that she told someone about his actions, she would get in so much trouble. She shook her head violently, but Cedric gave her a disapproving look.

"Well, I'm not going to just sit here knowing that he's hurting you in this way," he stated, then placed his hand on her shoulder, "I know you're mad at me right now, but it's either you talk to him or I do."

Sofia thought on this for a while, then replied, "Um, how about neither of us say anything…" she paused, then said, "I just told you something that was kept a secret for such a long time, why can't you just keep it?"

Cedric laughed at her confusing question and answered her, saying, "Well, sometimes secrets need to be shared and now is that time, I'm doing it for your safety, princess, you can't live like this forever and I know for sure that you don't want to put up with this anymore. So, I'm sorry that I have to do this, but this is to keep you safe..." Sofia was confused by his statement as he raised his wand and exclaimed, "Somnus!"

Sofia fell into Cedric's arms, sleeping. He felt bad for having to put her to sleep, but he knew that she would not talk to her father about her feelings. She was too nervous to even tell someone she trusts about the situation. Cedric walked to his bed and placed her down gently. He whispered a 'sorry' to her, then looked up at his raven.

"Well, Wormy, I only have about an hour before the spell wears off," he said, going through his spell books just to make sure he had an hour or not and he was correct. He threw his wand on the table and went to the shelves where all his other wands were stored. At the top shelf, there was his family wand. He snatched it hastily and bolted toward the door.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Wormwood said, but all Cedric could hear was "caw caw".

He ran down to the bottom of the stairs, and then bumped into someone who was very tall. They both screamed as they fell to the ground.

"Oh, Cedric, hello," said Baileywick, smiling, "do you know where Princess Sofia might be? The, uh, king is looking for her. He seems pretty upset. I wish that girl would just stay in her room, she would get into less trouble."

Cedric snorted and said, "Oh, well, I was actually looking for King Roland…I have a few words to say to him."

Baileywick was taken back. Why would Cedric want to speak to the King? Baileywick blinked quickly, then replied, "Oh, okay, why do you want to speak to him?"

Cedric was getting impatient and said rudely, "Well, that's none of your business, now move aside, Baileywick." Cedric lightly pushed him to the side and proceeded to walk down the long aisles in the castle. When he finally reached the king's bedroom, he knocked harshly on the door. He had to keep reminding himself to stay calm and not get fired up when speaking to him. He placed the wand in his shirtsleeve when he heard the king's footsteps getting closer to the door.

When Roland II opened the door, he rolled his eyes and said, "Oh, it's just you Cedric, what are you doing here?"

"I have to speak to you immediately," Cedric said serenely. Roland II began to close the door but then Cedric said, "It's very important."


	3. Chapter 3 - Owlly's Mirror

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First

Note: Hey, I have midterms right now, so I can't upload that much. I should be studying physics right now, but instead, I'm writing stories. Thank you so so much for the comments! I really appreciate them!

Chapter 3: Owlly's Mirror

"Ugh, fine, come in, Cedric," Roland II said, annoyed. He never seemed to like Cedric the way Sofia liked him. Most of the time, Cedric would get nervous in front of the king and get his spells wrong. This would annoy Roland II so much that a lot of times he would put Cedric down, saying that "I wish you would be more like your father, Goodwin the Great!" Roland II was always confused on why Sofia looked up to Cedric so much, but now he didn't seem to care.

Cedric walked into Roland II's bedroom and looked around; he had never been inside the king's bedroom. It was even larger than Sofia's! He took a quick glance to his left at the book shelf which was crammed with books; he was surprised to see sorcery books. To his right, he saw a mirror, but not just any mirror, Cedric noticed it right away—it was an enchanted mirror called Owlly's Mirror. A man named, Jonathan Owlly, lost all his children and wife due to an unexpected bombing of sorcerers. Filled with grief, he made this mirror in order to see his dead wife and children.

"Alright, Cedric, tell me what is this, "oh so important", thing you need to tell me," Roland II said, mockingly.

Cedric jumped when he heard his name and turned away from Owlly's Mirror, saying, "Well, it has to do with Sofia…she…she," Cedric suddenly became fearful, "well, I'm sorry to say this, but you haven't been very kind to her."

Roland II simply glared at him for a moment, and then said, "And why do you think this?" His voice grew louder and angrier. "What have you seen?"

Cedric began stuttering, saying, "W-W-Well, you see, I-I-I…"

"Spit it out, you stupid sorcerer!" Roland screamed at Cedric, who felt like he was going to faint.

_Be strong for Sofia…she needs you right now…_Cedric thought, then said confidently, "I have heard noises…" he lied; he honestly had no idea what was going on until Sofia told him. However, he knew why Sofia did not want to confront him; he was a time-bomb. "…I have seen things happen…and oh!"

Roland II had thrown Cedric against the wall and cornered him. Cedric swallowed hard as Roland II's hands tightened around his arms. "You haven't seen anything. You're lying to me. I would never hurt, Sofia, she is my daughter," Roland II spat out ruthlessly, "Are you feeling alright, Cedric? Have those potions gone to your head and now you're making up outrageous lies about your King?"

"You're the one lying, your Majesty, Sofia would never lie to me," Cedric said, but then gasped as he realized what he said. Roland II threw Cedric to the ground and punched the wall, making his hand bleed but he didn't care.

"So, Sofia is the one who told you this? That little brat!" Roland II shouted, "Once I get my hands on her, I'll…"

"You won't be doing anything!" Cedric shouted back at him, as he drew out his wand, "Recem Noceo!" He stood proudly, believing that the spell would hurt him, but something took him by surprise. Roland II had blocked his spell with a wand. Cedric gasped, seeing him with a wand in his hand; he never seemed to like magic. "Are…are you a sorcerer?"

Roland II laughed and answered, "Oh…no, however I was extremely good at sorcery when I was a boy. In fact, I wanted to be a sorcerer, but my father looked down upon magic and forced me to become king instead," he chuckled when he saw Cedric with his mouth hanging down in shock, "You know, your father was the one to teach me magic and you know what he said to me? He said I was better than his own son and with that being said, I think we both know who's going to win this fight. Patior plurimum!" he exclaimed as a light came out of his wand.

Cedric screamed in pain when the light hit him. He fell to the ground as the light circled around his body, sending sharp electric shocks into his skin. Roland II laughed, watching him undergo such terrible feelings. Cedric held onto his wand very tightly, then shouted, "Praesidium!" and an invisible force field surrounded him.

Roland II was livid; he tried to get rid of the protection around him, but it was no use. He tried every spell he knew and he even ran towards his spell books, searching desperately for a spell to break the invisible shield. He glanced at Cedric, who was simply watching the king, then turned away to keep searching.

"Your Majesty, I will let you know that there is no spell to get rid of the Protection Spell," Cedric said, laughing, then his smile went away once he thought of something clever. He recalled the time he taught Sofia's class six years ago at Royal Prep. When Cedric was battling the three pranksters from another school, they used the Sticking Spell to stick him to a chair. Could he use that on Roland II?

Cedric waved his wand toward a chair and chanted the Sticking Spell. Blue goo was splattered all over the chair. He flicked his wand at Roland II who was lifted up in the air, then moved him into the chair. Cedric felt accomplished since Roland II thought he wasn't going to win their little fight. He moved over to the chair and looked darkly into the king's eyes which were glaring at him.

"You let me go at once!" Roland II yelled at him as he struggled to get out.

Cedric felt depressed for a moment, and then said, "I can't. You've been hurting your daughter for the past two years and you're not even accepting that you did it. Until you accept that and change it around, then I can let you go." Cedric waited a moment to see if he would speak or not, but he didn't, so he questioned him. "Do you accept that you've been hurting Sofia and you want to change that?"

"I haven't done anything to her; she's a liar," Roland II stated angrily.

Cedric sighed. He knew that was not the case; about five minutes ago, he witnessed his anger himself. He knew what he had to do for it was the only way to keep Sofia safe. He gulped, and then said, "I know deep inside, you're a good man. Even though you've always been mean to me, you were a great father to Sofia. You would spend time with her, help her with school, take her to festivals, where did that man go?" Cedric could feel tears stinging his eyes.

"Sofia needs you," he continued, "She deserves to have a father who loves and cares for her, not a father who leaves her frightened to leave her bedroom. So, now, you leave me no choice. Until you get your act together, I will be taking Sofia out of the castle to live with my parents in Mystic Meadows."

Roland II gasped and yelled, "No! You will not! I am the king and I get to say who goes where."

"You're quite right, your Majesty," Cedric said calmly; he was surprised he had remained this calm, even though Roland II was getting on his nerves, "But Sofia is in great danger right now and I think that's more important than you being the king…So, goodbye, your Majesty, I will see you around. Remember to think about your actions…please, for Sofia…and your wife."

Cedric opened the door, shocked to hear nothing come out of Roland II's mouth, but instead hear sobs. However, he believed the tears were only because he was stuck to a chair and felt sorry for himself. He looked at his watch and saw that an hour was almost up, so he hurriedly dashed to his workshop. When he opened the door, he saw that Sofia was still sleeping, so he sighed in relief. He didn't want her to wake up to him not being there and then transport somewhere else to find him.

Sofia stirred and opened her eyes slowly. At first, she didn't know where she was, then she remembered she was in Cedric's workshop. Memories started swarming back to her when she saw her training wand on the ground.

"Hello, Sofia," Cedric said lightly, "How are you feel…"

"What happened?" Sofia demanded, getting to her feet, "Did you tell him? Why would you tell him? What did he do? Why did you put me to sleep?"

"Slow down," Cedric said, laughing, "Everything's okay now. I told him and right now, he's stuck to a chair…" Sofia gasped, then he continued, "But he will be free once he admits that what he has done is wrong. Also, you're going to live with my parents. You remember them, right?"

"What? Why?" Sofia asked, gleefully, "Of course, I remember!" She suddenly felt sad; her father did not want to acknowledge that he was wrong. A tear slid down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. _No…no more crying. I'll be safe now. I'll be with Mr. Goodwin and Mrs. Winifred_…she thought.

"Are you alright, Sofia?" Cedric said with concern in his voice. He thought she would be happier about visiting his parents. She seemed to love them the last time, but that was six years ago, things could have changed.

"Oh yes, I'm sorry, I was thinking about my dad, but I'm really excited to see your parents. They are really great!" Sofia said smiling.

Cedric grinned and replied, "Well, I'm happy you're excited. I will inform Baileywick that you're staying with them and you, my dear, should go start packing. I'm not sure how long you will stay, but for right now, pack for a week's visit."


	4. Chapter 4 - A Helping Hand

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First

Chapter 4: A Helping Hand

Sofia nodded and dashed out of Cedric's workshop. Cedric smiled, dimly and then, sat down in his chair for a moment. He wondered whether he made the right decision or not; he also wasn't sure how Roland II would survive being stuck to a chair…that's if he never admits that he's wrong. He rubbed his forehead, pondering on the incident with Roland II. Did his father really think that Roland II was better than him? The thought made him depressed, so he got his mind off it. Instead, he went to go find Baileywick.

Cedric went around the castle for a few minutes, trying to find Baileywick. He searched in the kitchen, the dining room, the ball room, and many more places, but he wasn't there. Cedric wasn't going to spend all night trying to find him, so he decided that once he drops off Sofia, he'll just tell him when he comes back.

Meanwhile, Sofia dashed to her room, thrilled to go to Mystics Meadows to see Goodwin and Winifred. Even though it had been years since she last seen them, they felt like family to her. She giggled just thinking about seeing them.

She opened the door to her room and quickly got out her suitcase, plopping it on her bed. She crammed her favorite dresses, nightgowns, and shoes into the luggage. She was about to get her beauty essentials out of her bathroom, when she heard groaning coming from the other side of her bed. Slowly, she crept over to the other side and saw something she did not want to see.

"Clover!" Sofia cried in shock as she raced over to her bunny, "What happened to you?" He was bleeding heavily with cuts all over his body. Sofia felt like she couldn't breathe as she examined all the cuts on him. The color was draining from her face and she broke out into a cold sweat. Her hands began shaking as she picked him up from the floor.

"Sofia…" Clover said, weakly, "…I'm…I'm fine." Of course, Sofia knew he wasn't. She set him down gently on the bed. "Your dad…when you left he got so mad…"

"But I hid you under my bed? How did he find you?" Sofia asked as she started searching for her training wand. Maybe she knew a spell that would fix Clover's wounds, but then the memory came back to her, she left it in Cedric's workshop.

"He saw my…white, fluffy tail sticking…out," he stated, "so…then he grabbed me and tried…to hurt me…"

"Oh, Clover, I wish I could have protected you more," Sofia said, sadly, "I should have taken you with me when I transported. I'm sorry…I have to get Mr. Cedric, he might know a spell to fix your wounds."

Clover nodded and Sofia was off to find Cedric. She was shouting his name throughout the entire castle. She knew he wasn't in his workshop; he had told her that he was going to inform Baileywick about her visit to Mystic Meadows. She was worried that she wasn't going to find him in time and Clover would die; worst of all, she felt like it was all her fault. She began panicking after ten minutes searching for him, and then she ran into someone.

"Sofia! Please watch where you're going. You'll ruin my new dress," Amber said, examining her pink, sparkly dress from top to bottom, "Good, nothing's on it. Um, I thought you were supposed to be in your room?"

"I am, but I'm going to visit Mr. Cedric's parents now. Actually, I'm trying to look for him right now; do you happen to know where he might be?" Sofia asked, hopeful but once Amber shook her head, all her hope was gone. "Oh, Clover's been injured and he has really bad cuts and I don't have my training wand to fix it. You're in an advanced sorcery class right now; do you know any spells for healing wounds?" Sofia's hope was rising up again.

"I do, but I just learned it two days ago. I can't possibly help your rabbit, I'll mess up the spell," Amber replied, sadden by the fact that she couldn't help Sofia save her friend.

"But if you keep trying, you'll get it right!" Sofia said, gleefully, "Remember what Mr. Cedric told us …like a really long time ago?"

"No…I'm sorry but I don't recall," Amber said as she thought about all the things Cedric had told her. He's said a lot of things to her, but she usually forgets them because she doesn't adore him the way Sofia does.

"The Sorcerer's Secret!" Sofia exclaimed, "The Sorcerer's Secret is never giving up the fight, remember? You must keep trying 'til you finally get it right."

Amber gasped and smiled, saying, "Yes, I remember that! That was favorite sorcery class ever. Cedric was such a good teacher. It was also so much fun fighting those brats from Hexly Hall."

The girls both laughed so hard that tears filled their eyes. They weren't laughing because of what Amber said, but because they missed that memory so much, that they just had to laugh to make themselves feel better. Amber and Sofia rarely talked ever since their mother died. Their dad kept them away from each other, so tonight was special for both of them. Amber had noticed a change in her father as well, but he wasn't as bad to her as he was to Sofia.

Amber looked at Sofia with tears in her eyes and said, "I miss you, Sofia, I miss hanging out with you after school or on the weekends and I wish we could talk to each other…but dad doesn't like that."

Sofia looked down, then back up at her teary-eyed sister. She felt exactly the same way. Sofia hugged Amber and said, "I miss you, too, Amber. Maybe one day, we will be able to be with each other again."

They let go and Amber was about to go back to her room, but then she remembered why Sofia was out in the castle in the first place. "Oh yes," she said, "I will get my wand from my room and I'll keep trying until Clover is healed."

So, Amber went to her room and came out with her training wand. The sisters ran to Sofia's room and burst open the door to find Clover not moving. Sofia placed her hand to her heart, frowning with tears in her eyes.

"D-D-Don't worry, Sofia," Amber said, nervously, "I can fix this." She held up her wand with her hand quivering. She also wasn't sure if Clover was dead or not, but healing him was worth a shot.

She placed the tip of the wand on the rabbit and said, uneasily, "Cura Teipsum!" She waited for something to happen, but Clover was still motionless. She heard Sofia tell her to keep trying, so she laid the wand on him again and said "Cura Teipsum!" Again, nothing had happened. She saw that Sofia's entire body was shaking from fear of losing him. She noticed her panicked expression and her pale face that looked like a ghost. She knew losing him would hurt her sister, so once more, she rested the wand on Clover and said in a clear and confident voice, "Cura Teipsum!" Light flew from the wand and started encircling Clover who immediately jumped up as if nothing happened.

"Clover!" Sofia screamed and embraced him, "You're okay! Oh, I thought I lost you." She was squeezing him so tightly that Clover couldn't respond.

Once she let go, Clover said, "Hey, princess, never squeeze that tightly again. I thought I was gonna be squished to death!" Sofia laughed at his comment and kissed him on the head.

Sofia turned to Amber and said, "Thank you. I really appreciate what you did tonight. You're the greatest sister ever." She hugged Amber who returned the hug gladly.

"You're welcome," Amber said, "Well, I'll let you pack. I hope you have fun at Mystic Meadows with Cedric's parents. While you're gone, I'll try to persuade dad into letting us talk again. It probably won't work, but I can try. I need you in my life again. Life just…isn't the same."

"I feel the same way, Amber," Sofia replied and she watched Amber go out the door. Sofia suddenly felt sad, knowing that she will probably never talk to Amber again. Even though they had a rough start, they became really good friends and loved spending time with each other.

Sofia went back to packing; she grabbed her toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, shampoo and conditioner and threw it in her suitcase. Then she grabbed her favorite doll and her spell books, stuffed them in with the rest of her belongings, and closed the case.

She sighed, feeling defeated once more. She knew no matter what Cedric did that her father wasn't going to change his ways. She knew that Amber would never be able to convince him to talk to her only sister. She knew nothing was going to get better. She felt like weeping again, but no tears would fall out. She thought that she might have lost the ability to shed tears which she was fine with; she always felt like she was a weakling when she cried, especially in front of Cedric. She's never seen him cry; she had admired him for that because she thought that he was strong. She strived to be like him, a strong, independent man, but she believed that she wasn't going to get there. She would always be a weak, over-dependent girl who was stuck living in a world she didn't want to be in.

There was a knock on her door, but she didn't have the strength to get up and open it, so she tiredly said, "Come in."

Cedric stepped in, holding her training wand in his hand, then said, "Well, Baileywick wasn't anywhere to be found, so I went searching outside but he still wasn't there. We're just going to go; I don't really care what Baileywick said anyway. I just thought he might want to know. I went back to my workshop, thinking that you might be waiting there but you weren't. I found your training wand on the ground and thought you might want it back. So, I went upstairs and…" he stopped as he saw her dead expression on her face, "Are you alright? What happened?"

Sofia hesitated; she wasn't sure whether she wanted to tell him just yet. "I'm fine, I'm just tired. Are you ready to go?" She asked, faking her happiness.

"Yes, well, let's go, then!" Cedric said, drawing out his wand.

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Note: Hi. I moved the notes down here instead because I don't know how long they're going to be. This chapter may seem off topic, but I really wanted people to see Amber and Sofia's relationship. It's really weird writing your own name in a story, just saying. :P Thanks for wishing me luck on my midterms; I really needed it. To LongLiveNiNoKuni, yeah, sadly, he does. When people abuse other people, a lot of times they either deny it or they don't even know they are doing it. (Sorry if you already knew this, I just wanted to explain why I wrote it that way. ^_^). Thanks again for comments! You da best. Also, AquaTurquoise, I love your stories! It might be a long time before some resolution happens (if it does lol). I think this might be a longer story than I thought it would be.


	5. Chapter 5 - The Magic Never Grows Old

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First

Chapter 5: The Magic Never Grows Old

Sofia got up, took her suitcase and of course, Clover and headed towards Cedric who smiled down at her. "I was thinking that you might want to do the Transporto spell since you're so good at it," he said, chuckling slightly, "I haven't even taught you that spell! Where did you learn it?"

"I figured it out on my own," she replied, feeling excited to use magic. Every day, Sofia would try out new spells on her own just for fun. It was the one thing that would calm her down after a fight with her father, so she would immediately turn to magic to cope.

"Well, Sofia," Cedric said, impressed, "You truly are a bright girl. You'll make a great sorceress one day." Cedric knew about her dreams of becoming a brilliant sorceress. Even though Sofia knew that she was destined to become queen, he told her that she could do both and if her father didn't like that, then he would use a spell to change his mind.

Cedric handed Sofia her wand and she thought of Mystic Meadows and shouted, "Transporto!"

Her room began fading away and the warm air of Mystic Meadows brushed against Sofia's skin. The smell of pine trees and freshly-cut grass filled Sofia's nose with delight. Her eyes landed on a little house with vine's twirling around the walls and door. She felt a smile curl onto her face, knowing that this was Goodwin and Winifred's house.

She shifted her eyes to Cedric and grinned even wider which caused Cedric to chortle. "Well, let's go inside…" he said to her, pushing her kindly.

The two of them walked along the dirt road, up to the house. Cedric knocked vociferously on the door for he knew his parents wouldn't hear if it wasn't loud enough. However, nothing happened, so he knocked for a second time even louder, but still nothing happened. Cedric was beginning to get frustrated and he lifted his hand to knock once more, but then the door opened to Goodwin looking tired.

"Oh, Cedric," Goodwin said, exhausted, "What…what are you doing here at…" He peered down to see what time it was on his pocket watch, "one in the morning?"

Cedric frowned; he hadn't realized that it was so late. "Oh, well, father, you remember, Sofia, right?" Cedric asked.

His father nodded, groggily and with a yawn said, "Of course, I do, but why did you come all this way to…" He stopped in the middle of the sentence to see a girl behind his son with a suitcase in her hand. "Oh, Princess Sofia, hello, Cedric can you please explain why she's here?"

"Well," Cedric said, "Something very, very, bad has happened at the castle and it's no longer safe for her to be there; I know it's a lot to ask of you but she needs a place to stay and I was thinking that she could stay with you and mummy…" He smiled as if that would help convince his father, but he didn't need to be persuaded, he already knew his answer.

"Of course, she can stay with us," Goodwin said, smiling as he motioned them inside then turned to Sofia, "There's a spare room next to Cedric's room…I'm sure he can show you to it."

Sofia and Cedric were greeted to the smell of lavender and rosemary as they entered the house. Sofia glanced around, remembering where everything was as if she had been there yesterday. There were even jellybeans on the table, though Sofia hoped that they weren't from six years ago.

Goodwin closed the door behind them, making Sofia jump. He chuckled and then said, "Oh, Princess Sofia, I didn't mean to scare you," he laughed again before saying, "Well, if there is anything you need, my bedroom is across the hall. As an old man, I need to get some rest or I won't be able to do anything the next morning. Goodnight, Princess Sofia. Goodnight, Cedric." Then he trudged off to his room.

Cedric led Sofia to the spare bedroom and unlocked the door with his wand for even he was growing weary. He placed his hand on her back and tenderly pushed her in the room. Sofia turned around with a troubled expression, causing Cedric to raise his eyebrow at her. "What? What's the matter?" he asked a bit irritated.

"Are you going back to the castle now?" Sofia asked, drilling her eyes into his. She didn't want him to go; she always felt secure around him and liked his company.

Cedric sighed deeply, then said, "Oh, yes, I'm sorry but I have things to do there," he saw the sorrow in her eyes, so he spoke up, "…But I will come back every day to see how you're doing!" Originally, he was going to drop her off and leave her there for a week until he feels that it is safe for her to return; he wasn't intending on stopping by every day. However, seeing how disappointed she was when he declared that he was leaving made him alter his plan.

"Oh, okay!" she said as she yawned, "I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodnight, Mr. Cedric." He gave her a tiny smile, and then closed the door behind him. He lowered his head, thinking about how much she desired for him to stay with her. He felt pity for the poor girl who went through a great deal tonight. Nevertheless, he knew that the sooner he could sway her father, the sooner she would be back in the castle with him. He drew out his wand from under his shirtsleeve, thought of the castle, and whispered "Transporto."

On the other side of the wall, Sofia listened to Cedric murmur "Transporto" and then she shuffled along to her bed. She lay down, leisurely, recalling all the events that took place that day—her father getting angry, telling Cedric her biggest secret, Clover almost dying, seeing Amber again, and now she's here, residing in Cedric's parents' house. Too much happened that day; she was astounded that her body was able to take it all.

She pulled the covers up to her neck, soaking in the warmth it provided her. She twisted to her side and closed her eyes. The smell of the lavender and rosemary house found its way into her nose as it began to lure her into dreamland. Clover had hopped beside her and nuzzled up to her, preparing himself to sleep as well. Slowly, her body relaxed and then she fell asleep.

When morning came around, Sofia discovered herself wrapped in two more blankets then there were last night. She snuggled against them, feeling extra cozy from the heat. She wasn't sure if she would be able to get out of bed, but eventually, she stretched and jumped out of bed, heading to her suitcase.

She pulled out one of her favorite purple dresses and went straight to the bathroom to get changed and do her hair. Once she was finished, she proceeded to the living room where she found Goodwin and Winifred, chatting with each other.

"Oh, Goody, what do you think happened at the castle?" Winifred asked, anxiously, "Oh, my daring, Ceddykins, saving Princess Sofia and trying to stop whatever's going on! I'm so proud of him."

Goodwin laughed, "Yes, I'm proud of him. Finally, he's doing something productive with his life, instead of trying to steal…"

"Princess Sofia!" Winifred exclaimed once she saw the princess step into the room. She leaped up and ran towards her, embracing her. "How wonderful to see you, my dear! You've grown so much since the last time I saw you! You're as tall as me now!" She laughed to herself, remembering the days when Sofia was ten years old.

"I have missed you both," Sofia said, as she hugged Winifred back. Goodwin walked up beside his wife to hug them as well. Sofia felt like she hadn't received this much affection in a long time; it made her insides leap for joy.

"We've missed you too," Goodwin said, compassionately, "I had hoped to see you soon; you seemed to have a great time the last time you were here and of course, we did too, oh, and definitely Cedric."

_ Oh, Mr. Cedric! _Sofia thought the second Goodwin uttered his name. A million questions raced in her mind. What is he doing? When would he see her again? Could he be with her father, questioning him? Could her father escape somehow? What if he escaped and trapped Cedric and now he's coming to Mystic Meadows to get her? The thoughts made her feel lightheaded and Goodwin and Winifred could tell something was wrong.

"Princess Sofia, are you feeling okay? You look so pale," Winifred said, guiding Sofia to a chair for her to sit down.

Her mind snapped back into reality and she replied, "Oh, yes, I'm fine. I felt a little faint, that's all." She simpered, feeling as if the thoughts she just experienced were truly about to occur.

"Are you sure?" Winifred asked, fretful as she ran to the kitchen which was far from the living room and shouted, "If you need anything I can make it for you, just tell me what you want and I can make it! Do you need medicine? I have that too…" she paused, "Actually, no I don't, but I can conjure up something real quick if you need me to."

"Oh, I'm alright, Mrs. Winifred, but thank you," Sofia said, attempting to remember her manners, even though she felt like she was going to be sick. "I think I might go outside for some fresh air, if that's okay with you."

"That's perfectly fine, Princess Sofia," Goodwin said and he walked to the kitchen to help Winfred, who just yelled about losing her pills, find her morning medicine.

Sofia walked to the door and stepped outside into the warm, spring air. She tried to reassure herself that nothing was going to happen to Cedric or to her. She glanced down at her amulet and brushed her fingers against it. She thought of the moment when her father presented her the amulet as a gift for becoming a new member of the royal family. She wished that her father would have a change of heart; she missed him greatly.

Her mind wandered back to Cedric; she almost wanted to snatch her wand and use the 'Transporto' spell just so she can see if he's out of harm's way. However, she knew that he would be vexed if she had come home to visit him. She thought worriedly…_Oh, Mr. Cedric…I hope you're alright…_

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Note: Hey! Thanks again for the comments! If you think this chapter's boring, I'm sorry and that it will get more interesting, probably in the next chapter. I'm also glad to see that people are okay with it being a long story. Just thank you sossosososo much for the comments; I appreciate them so much. To CedricAmber, I think my favorite episode is either Cedric's Apprentice or Mystic Meadows; anything with Cedfia moments!


	6. Chapter 6 - King Roland II's Journal

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First

Chapter 6: King Roland II's Journal

The minute Cedric got back from Mystic Meadows he plopped down on his bed and instantly fell asleep. The entire night he experienced dreadful nightmares of Sofia being tormented by her father. He would wake up, sweating and tears would fill up in his brown eyes, and then he would lie down once more and hope to have dreams of magic instead. However, after multiple horrific dreams, he stood up and paced around in his workshop. He glanced over to the window to see if it was daytime yet, but the dark was still holding its spot in the sky. He assumed everyone in the castle would be sleeping by now, but he decided to walk around the castle to see if anyone was awake.

The castle halls were dark, so Cedric seized his wand and made his wand transform into a light. He began wondering if Roland II was behind him, just waiting to attack him. He kept marching forward, knowing that this fear of the king was silly, but fear forced him to turn around, but he didn't see the king; it was someone else.

Cedric screamed, and then realized that it was the royal steward. "Baileywick, don't sneak up on me like that!" He lectured him, "Why are you even out this late anyway?"

"You're asking me why I'm out so late yet you're out…as well?" Baileywick answered, puzzled, "I've been looking all over for you. I'm extremely disappointed in you, Cedric." He appeared to look disgusted as he folded his arms with a disapproving countenance.

Cedric was taken aback by his posture and his words and stated, "What? What are you talking about? What did I do?"

Baileywick held up a wand and said, "Well, first, you stuck the king to a chair, second, you took Sofia off to your parents' house without mine or the king's permission and third, you're out here late at night, you must be up to something sinister."

Cedric stood there, thunderstruck for a few moments and yelled, furiously, "Do you even know why I did it?" Baileywick was shocked to hear Cedric talk to him in that tone. Cedric was always an irritated person, but he never yelled at him. "Do you even know what the king is doing to his daughter? Do you even know anything, Baileywick, or are you just doing what the precious king tells you to do, as always?! It doesn't matter how horrible of a man he is, you'll defend him anyway. DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT HE'S DONE?"

Baileywick could see the rage in Cedric's eyes, whose face began to shift into a dark shade of red. "Look, Cedric, I know the king can be harsh to Princess Sofia, but he hasn't done anything…"

Cedric cut him off and bellowed, "Hasn't done anything? HASN'T DONE ANYTHING? You either have no idea or you are completely in denial." Cedric's fury was making him nauseous; he tried to calm down but his anger kept rising again. He could not grasp the fact that Baileywick knew about something and he never made an effort to rescue her from it. Did he even care about the unfortunate princess?

"Well…" Baileywick began, waving the wand around, carelessly, "He didn't deserve to be stuck to a chair…even if he had "done" anything to Princess Sofia…"

Then, it hit Cedric; Baileywick freed Roland II from the chair. That's why he had a wand in his hand and that's why he couldn't find him before he sent Sofia to Mystic Meadows—he was freeing Roland II at that time. Though what he did not know is how Baileywick did it. The Sticking Spell can only be undone by an advanced sorcerer; but Baileywick wasn't a sorcerer at all. However, he felt as if he should ask him before jumping to conclusions.

"Did…did you free him?" Cedric asked, timidly; he was afraid to hear the answer.

"I did…" Baileywick declared, waving the wand again, "I went to see if King Roland II needed anything before he went off to bed, but then I saw him stuck to a chair…He told me the story and asked me to fetch one of his sorcery books. He told me what page the undoing spell was on and I practiced all night. I finally got it right and now the king's free and wants to see you."

Cedric swallowed and said, stuttering, "R-R-Right now?"

"Yes, this very moment," Baileywick said, grabbing Cedric's wrist and leading him down the halls. Cedric was perplexed by Baileywick's behavior; he was never like this when it came to the king—of course he followed orders, but he never dragged Cedric along as if he were a puppet.

As they walked nearer to the king's bedroom, Cedric could hear his heart pounding louder and louder. His sweat drenched his royal purple robe and he felt as if he wouldn't survive this meeting with the king. He wondered what he would say to him or worse, what he would do to him. All he longed to think about was Sofia and her safety, but it was difficult to get his mind off the possibility of being attacked.

Baileywick barged through the king's door and by this action; Cedric knew that he was not himself. The steward forced him down into a chair and then turned his attention to Roland II who was standing with a twisted grin on his lips. He had a leather book in his left hand and a quill pen in his right. He glued his hateful eyes to Cedric's who were filling up with fear and anger. He was scared if he would do anything to him or Sofia; he tried so hard to shelter her and now all his attempts were for nothing.

Roland II stared at Cedric for a bit longer and then said, "Well, you think you would get away for what you did, hm?" Cedric turned away from him; he could not bear to look at the face of an abusive liar. "Well," Roland II continued, realizing that the sorcerer was not going to speak to him, "you thought wrong, Cedric."

Cedric's anger was boiling up and he said crossly, "Why can't you just acknowledge it? She's hurting inside and you don't even care? Are you that selfish that you won't…"

"Silence!" Roland II bellowed, "I did not give you permission to speak." He slammed his book and quill pen to the floor and stormed across the room to Cedric. He gripped his face and dug his nails into his skin which caused Cedric to yelp in pain. "I have done nothing to Sofia and you will never bring up this preposterous subject up again, do you understand?"

Cedric placed his hands on the king's fingers, struggling to peel them off, but Roland II had a tight drip on his face. "Please, Your Majesty," he said through a squished face, "Sofia needs you…Please…don't hurt her anymore…"

Cedric's face was turning purple and he could barely feel his face. Roland II jerked his hand away and paced around his room for a while. The sorcerer could sense that something awful was going to occur. He glanced at Baileywick who appeared to not be paying any attention to this meeting. He simply stared off without blinking and he didn't look to be breathing either.

"I am sick and tired of you accusing me of this crime. I'm not the one to blame, she is! If she wasn't so weak and selfish, we wouldn't be in this mess, huh? Miranda would still be alive!" He shouted at Cedric who gazed at him, bemused. He contemplated on why he would bring up Miranda; he knew Sofia wasn't to blame for Miranda's illness.

"I'm throwing you in the dungeon and you will be beheaded the next morning." Roland II said after some thought, "Baileywick, get him out of my face."

Baileywick trudged over to Cedric who jumped out of his chair. He snatched his wand out of his shirtsleeve, but Baileywick wrenched it out of his hand and snapped it in half. Cedric whimpered at the dreaded sound of his wand breaking and attempted to place it back together, but it was no use. He caught a glimpse of Roland II smirking and walking out of the room, probably knowing that without his wand, Cedric was done for.

_Oh…what am I going to do? _He asked himself, desperately as he whipped his head around, searching for some protection. However, he could only find Roland II's journal, so he snatched that and whacked Baileywick with it a couple times. Cedric could feel the guilt rising up in his body every time he would strike him, but he needed to protect himself, even if that meant to hit one of his good friends.

He was amazed to see that the tenth time he smacked Baileywick he was knocked out and sprawled across the floor with his glasses slightly off. Cedric bent down to fix them and muttered an apology to him even though he couldn't hear it. He sighed as he straightened himself and gawked at the book in his hands. He ran his fingers along the leather binding and opened it to the first page.

_She's gone. Miranda's dead. When she was lying in her bed, it's as if she knew she was going to die. I told her I would save her. I told her Sofia and Amber were getting the medicine from the Forest of Evas—a place where you can grant one wish and it would immediately come true. However, the Forest of Evas is extremely dangerous, it may take a while which is understandable, even I have never been in there. Sofia and Amber told me they wanted to go there; they said that I need to watch over their mother. I wish I had gone. I could have protected my daughters and of course, my beautiful wife. I love you and miss you, my dear, Miranda. _

Cedric flipped the pages again and found another entry shortly after the first one was written.

_I miss you, Miranda. I missed you so badly that I went into the Forest of Evas to bring you back from the dead and also to look for Sofia and Amber. They haven't returned and I'm worried; I'm sure they are fine though. Sofia knows magic very well, thanks to Cedric who is a wonderful sorcerer. Anyway, when I told them to bring you back from the dead, the magical, wish-granting trees told me they don't have that ability. So, they gave me a mirror instead—they told me it was called 'Owlly's Mirror' and I can now see you again. I'm so glad I get to see you again. I love you. _

Cedric blushed when reading about him being a wonderful sorcerer. He never knew Roland II felt that way about him or at least, used to feel that way. He turned the other page and found an entry that left him stunned.

_The girls came back from the Forest of Evas today and your own daughter is nothing but a selfish brat. She told me that she did not wish for your medicine, but for something else. She would not tell me what it was; she said I'll 'get upset'. Well, I'm now upset, in fact, I'm furious. Why would she do that to you, Miranda? Your own daughter…I can't wrap my mind around it. I feel dead inside. _

Cedric looked up with his head and heart throbbing uncontrollably. What had Sofia wished for…what would have been more important than saving her own mother? He felt like he didn't know the true Sofia. _No…_he thought…_there had to be a reason…Sofia loved her mother. She wouldn't…she just wouldn't…_

"Hey!" came a voice from the other side of the room. It was Roland II who was surrounded by a bunch of guards, preparing to battle Cedric.

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Note: Thanks again for the comments! Things will be explained later, like what Sofia wished for, the Forest of Evas, etc. I don't want to give too much away but don't hate Sofia or Baileywick right now; again things will be explained! Also, I'm so dumb; I found out that 'Your Highness' is used for princes and 'Your Majesty' is used for kings. I was using 'Your Highness' before, whoops. I made changes though. Thanks again!


	7. Chapter 7 - Queen Miranda's Visit

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First

Chapter 7: Queen Miranda's Visit

It was midnight. Sofia was pacing around her spare bedroom, considering all the reasons why Cedric had not come to visit her yet. Maybe he's busy? Maybe he forgot? Maybe he grew tired and went to bed early? Maybe her father did something to him? She flinched, envisioning Cedric being persecuted by her father. All these thoughts were swirling in her mind; she couldn't take it. Clover, who was sitting on the bed, peered up at her with anxious eyes.

"Sof, he may have just forgotten…I mean, you know Cedric; he's kind of an airhead," he said as he hopped to a more comfortable part of the bed. Sofia smiled at him and almost laughed at his statement, but she was too worried to joke around right now.

"Oh, Clover," she said, sitting next to him, "I don't think he would forget something this important." She laid her hand on the rabbit and scratched him between the ears which he appreciated. She reflected on the situation for a bit longer until something brilliant crashed into her worried thoughts. She knew Cedric would get displeased to see that she left the safety of his parents' house, but right now, she didn't care; she needed to see if he was safe and sound.

Seizing her wand, she thought of the castle, but before she could utter 'Transporto', Clover said, "And where do you think you're going?"

"I need to see Mr. Cedric…he could be in danger right now," Sofia said with her voice quivering. Then she thought of the castle once more and weakly said, "Transporto."

The room around her began vanishing, along with Clover hopping up and down, trying to stop her. She fell to the ground and patted her hands on the chilly castle floor. Hastily, she pulled herself up and started her search for Cedric, but before she could begin, she collided with someone.

She gasped when the man tugged on her hair insensitively as he hauled her closer to him. "Dad…" she spoke mutely, "Please let me go…" She wasn't sure how she was going to escape from his tight grip. She could feel the tears in her eyes as they tried to hold on for as long as they could, but they swam out, stinging her cheeks.

"You're coming with me," Roland II said, glaring with menacing eyes. He yanked her all the way to his bedroom and threw her inside where she landed on the floor. She felt blood, trickling from her nose, but before she could wipe it up, her father jerked her back up again. Her tears became like two rivers flowing down from each cheek. She desired to beg for him not to do anything, but what was the point of pleading? It's not like he would listen to it.

He raised his hand and smacked her right across the face. She clutched her throbbing face with her hand as she took two steps away from him. For a second time, he hauled her closer to him and grasped her face, squeezing it brutally. "You think that you're clever, huh?" He said, glowering at her with his face pressing against hers, "Did you think you would get away with that, you brat? You think you can lie to that brainless sorcerer…"

She interrupted, "He's not brainless." However, her declaration only made her situation worse.

"You shut up!" He screamed at her, causing her ears to ache and attempt to recover from such volume, "You know this isn't my fault…this is all yours…you're so stupid, Sofia, you think you did nothing wrong, but you did everything wrong! I hate you!"

Sofia's sobs became louder; all she could think about was Cedric and how she could get to him—she needed to flee. "Why?" was all she could articulate, "Dad…please…I love you…I really do."

"No," he said, ruthlessly which made Sofia weep even louder, "You don't love me, 'cause if you did, you wouldn't have let Miranda die, now would you?" He waited for a response, but all he received was whimpers from his daughter, "WOULD YOU?" He bellowed, loosening his grip on her face. Her body was becoming numb; she could barely stand up anymore.

"I told you many times, dad…" she said trembling as she crashed to the ground, "I did what she wanted me to do…"

"You little brat," he said, crouching down beside her, "And what was it that she told you to do?" He smacked her face again simply because he was angry.

"…I can't tell you…but I did what she wanted me to do…" She said, placing her hand on her face again. She glanced at her father with beseeching eyes, but she didn't stare for long. His hand curled into a fist and he punched her in the face, knocking her unconscious.

* * *

When Sofia awoke, she found herself lying in a bed with her head aching. She lightly placed her hand to her head, massaging it in small circles. She groaned as she shifted her body, feeling hurt all over. She desired to get some more sleep, but she realized someone was watching her. She shot up, staring wide-eyed at the figure at the other side of her bed.

"Oh, Princess Sofia, sorry I didn't mean to frighten you," said Baileywick who was startled by Sofia's response.

Sofia smiled kindly, and then noticed her surroundings. She wasn't in her room; she was still in her father's bedroom. "Baileywick," she said mystified, "why am I in my father's bedroom?"

Baileywick frowned, "Well, your father has locked us both in here. It's a long story…first your father forced me to drink a potion and then all I remember is waking up on the floor. Then I saw you, unconscious on the floor and so, I picked you up and tried to carry you to your room, but the door was locked. So, I laid you in your father's bed instead." He sighed, hinting that he was stressed which made Sofia frown in sympathy for him.

"Oh," was all Sofia said. She stood up, and then turned back to Baileywick who simpered at her, confused. "Do you know where Mr. Cedric is?" Her voice sounded hopeful, but once she saw Baileywick shake his head, she glanced down sadden.

"I'm afraid I don't…" Baileywick replied, frowning along with her, "Have you checked in his workshop? He could be there; however, I haven't been down there in a while."

"Neither have I," Sofia replied as she lifted up her wand. She thought of Cedric's workshop and said 'Transporto…' but nothing happened. She figured she must have said the spell incorrectly, so she repeated her actions, but still nothing. She glared at her wand, stunned to see it not working. As a result, she turned her thoughts to the door and said 'Recludam…' (an unlocking spell) but again nothing occurred. She looked to Baileywick who shrugged his shoulders; he opened his mouth to say something, but then snapped it shut. He appeared to not know what was going on either.

"He bewitched it…" Sofia muttered under her breath. "He bewitched it…" She said again, louder so Baileywick could hear it, "He cast a spell around his room, knowing that I would use my wand to escape. Man, he's clever." She was impressed by her father's wittiness, however now was not the time to marvel at his skills; she had to find a way out of there, but how? Sofia was so familiar with simply waving a wand and getting out of her problems with magic.

For a while, Baileywick and Sofia stood there, exchanging ideas about how to escape. Baileywick suggested that they climb out the window, but Sofia rejected the idea—her father could see them and what if one of them fell off? That would not be a pretty sight. He, then, proposed another plan where they break down the door. Sofia giggled, picturing them smashing the door, but again rejected, knowing that her father would get heated if he saw his bedroom door to pieces.

Baileywick could tell Sofia was starting to worry. He sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder, saying, "Don't worry, Princess Sofia, we'll get out of here. Cedric will be fine, I promise." He gave a reassuring smile, and then went back to brainstorming.

Sofia smiled back at him, and then frowned. What if they never get out? What if Cedric is in grave danger? Her heart pounded just thinking about it, so she hastily turned her attention to something else. In fact, something bizarre happened in the corner of her eye.

Blue mist began to emerge from Owlly's Mirror. Sofia jerked her head to see what was going on and she blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't imagining it. She shook Baileywick's arm to get his attention and he peered at the mirror with gaping eyes. Sofia watched as a figure came into view in the mirror and she was astonished to see who it was.

"No…" Sofia exclaimed, "It can't be!" She stepped closer to the mirror and grinned. "Mom!" She began to run into the mirror when her mother stopped her.

"Sofia, no!" She cried, waving her hands away from her warningly, "Sadly, you can't step into Owlly's Mirror." Sofia tilted her head with a confused countenance, so Miranda continued. "Once you step into the mirror, you can never come back…"

"Oh," Sofia said with a frown forming on her face, "Can you step out of the mirror?"

Her mother shook her head, saying, "No." She paused when she saw the look on Sofia's face. She felt bad for her poor daughter who she knows misses her dearly. "I don't have much time, Sofia, but give your father the emerald. He must stop what he's doing at once…I never imagined Rolly to act such a way but I believe it's because of misery…" She stopped again when Sofia glanced at her baffled. "I must go now. I'm sorry I can't stay longer but I can only come when someone's in danger…I love you, Sofia…Oh, look behind the sorcery books, you'll find…"

Then the blue mist circled around her mother and she was gone. Sofia noticed that she had extended her arm as if she was trying to reach her mother in some way. She pulled her arm back slowly, trying to take in what had occurred. She saw her mother; she hadn't seen her in two years. She had mixed feelings about it; she was glad to see her yet sad she couldn't stay longer. She whipped around to find Baileywick still standing there with his mouth wide open.

She placed her hand on his arm which helped him snap back into reality. He looked down at her, then looked back up at the mirror and said, "My goodness…was that Queen Miranda…or am I going mad?"

Sofia laughed and replied, "No, Baileywick, you're perfectly normal. That was my mom."

"How is that possible?" He said, then seemed to have come to a conclusion already, "Wait, this is Enchancia; strange things happen all the time. Maybe I am losing it, Princess Sofia."

Sofia giggled again, then abruptly stopped once she recalled what her mother told her. _Get the emerald…give it to dad…look behind the sorcery books…_She thought. She raced to her father's bookshelf, tearing down every sorcery book there was. Then she found it—a key. Was this the key that would free them? She turned to Baileywick who was so relieved that he took the key out of her hands and shoved the key into the keyhole which unlocked the door, releasing them.

"Ah, that's better, isn't it?" Baileywick said, glancing around the castle to see if Roland II was there, "Now, don't you have an emerald to get?"

Sofia examined her training wand and thought about Cedric. She nodded at Baileywick and said, "Yes, but first, I have to find Mr. Cedric."

* * *

Note: Hey! Thanks for the comments! Sorry this took me 3473974239 years to update. I'm so so so busy right now. I have college interviews and auditions (I'm trying to be a music major) and I'm so stressed, ahaha. I'm going to Florida this week, woo! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. I hope it makes sense too!


	8. Chapter 8 - The Rescuing of Fifty Men

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First

Chapter 8: The Rescuing of Fifty Men

Sofia began to walk towards Cedric workshop, and then whipped her head around to tell Baileywick something, but he wasn't next to her. He was still standing in front of her father's bed room. "Well, are you coming or what?" Sofia asked with a small smile forming on her face; her eyes were twinkling in the light.

Baileywick appeared to be surprised. Sofia never asked him to go along with her in her journeys—it was always Cedric, Amber, or even James, but never Baileywick. He grinned at her, feeling honored to assist her and said, "Oh yes! Let's go find Cedric!"

"Great!" Sofia exclaimed, raising her wand, "I'm going to use a transportation spell to get us to his workshop, so just think of his workshop and hold onto me, and then I'll say the spell, alright?"

She waited for him to respond, but all he did was nod his head as he wrapped his fingers around her tiny arm. He seemed bewildered by what she said; to him, magic was very confusing and he had no intent in learning about it.

She lifted her wand above her head and was about to utter the magic words when Baileywick stopped her. "Wait!" he cried, looking off into the distance. He squinted his eyes and at one point, took off his glasses and wiped them with a cloth and then hastily put them back on. "What is that…on the floor?"

Sofia saw it too; little rose petals began making a path on the floor. She slowly lowered her wand, thinking that she might have accidentally done something with her magic. The rose petals stopped right at their feet and began to glow dimly.

Sofia stared at them for a moment, wondering why rose petals would make a path and even if she did know why, who did it? Was it Cedric? Maybe he was trying to communicate with them…so that's the story Sofia believed. She glanced over at Baileywick whose eyes were bursting of shock. His eyes meet hers and they both knew what they needed to do.

"Follow the rose petals," Sofia said and Baileywick nodded in agreement. So, she followed the rose petals and with each step they took, the rose petals would grow brighter and brighter. Sofia peered behind her, making sure no one was behind them and no one was, but the petals had disappeared once they stepped in front of them. Her insides felt like they were going to rupture simply thinking about seeing Cedric again. She missed him even though she had been way from him for only a few hours.

As they entered the darkest part of the castle, they wondered where in the world Cedric would be. Then Baileywick gasped as if he realized something was wrong. Sofia's head shot up at him with terrified eyes and exclaimed, "What? What's wrong?"

"I know this part of the castle, it's where all the bad people go…or prisoners…but Cedric is in there…he's in the dungeon," he said with no emotion in his voice, "We can get him out of course. You have your wand, so no need to worry." He smiled down at her, hoping to calm her fears.

Sofia sighed, defeated and whispered, "That's if my father didn't bewitch the dungeon too…" She envisaged Cedric being trapped inside a dungeon cell forever because she couldn't unlock the door due to her father's maliciousness. She shivered thinking about it and she proceeded to walk faster down the corridor. She didn't care if Baileywick had a hard time keeping up with her—she had to rescue her best friend and teacher.

The petals were glowing so bright that it blinded the two companions and it was making them hard to see. Sofia assumed that they must be close for she started to hear groaning and shouting from other people. She started passing some cells and the prisoners would look at her with disgust in their face. She tried smiling at them with sympathy; she knew most of these men were not evil people. Her father was the one who put them there, only because he has no heart.

One man ran up to the door of his cell and slammed his entire body to it. He gripped his large and filthy hands around the cool bars and shouted at her with tears in his eyes, "Your family took me away from my wife and children! I was all they had! What are they supposed to do now? Starve to death? You people are heartless!"

Sofia backed away forcefully and landed against the bars of another cell. The person in the other cell grabbed her two arms. Their fingers felt long and skinny and they were like ice against her warm skin. She gasped, hoping the person wouldn't hurt her. _Please…_she begged in her mind_…please don't hurt me…_

"It's not her fault!" a familiar voice boasted, "I know Princess Sofia wouldn't do this to you. She is a kind princess who takes pity on even the cruelest people." The crying man just stood there, breathing heavily as he stared at Sofia. The anger in his eyes melted away and turned to a face of sorrow and shame. He crawled back into the shadows of his cell, sobbing even harder than before.

Sofia whipped around and saw Cedric. She tried to embrace him through the cell bars, but it didn't exactly work. He smirked at her and Sofia couldn't help but laugh when she saw him again. Suddenly, she heard a noise coming from outside the dungeon. She darted around the room to see where she could hide, but there was no place. She dashed back to Cedric who grabbed her arm securely.

"Princess Sofia!" Baileywick panted, "You really need to slow down. I couldn't…" he took another breath, "keep up with you." He placed his hands on his knees and he breathed in and out quickly. He straightened up once he was finished catching his breath and saw Cedric in a cell. "Ah, I see you have found Cedric. Good. Um. Can you please do your magic so we can get out of here? It's kinda…"

"Spooky?" Cedric finished the sentence for him, chuckling at how frightened Baileywick looked.

"Uh…well, yes, and…" his voice dropped down to a whisper, "some people are staring at me…I'm not sure why. I'm not the one who put them down here!"

Sofia gave Baileywick an upsetting face, and then raised her wand, saying "Recludam!" She prayed that it would work, so she wouldn't have to search around the castle to find a key. She also had no desire to run into her father again if all he was going to do was hit her. She crossed her fingers and closed her eyes shut as if that would help the spell.

_Click! _The lock was undone and Cedric opened the cell door, beaming at Sofia who still had her eyes closed. Cedric chortled and said, "Sofia, you can open your eyes now; the cell is unlocked." Then his eyes drifted up to Baileywick's terrified face. "And I think we should probably go…Baileywick looks like he is about to faint."

"Am not!" Baileywick protested, crossing his arms, "I just think this place is really unsettling…" Some of the men scowled at him, so he spoke up again, "B-but not because of the p-people…heh, I just don't care for really dark places."

Sofia and Cedric glanced at each other; they both were attempting to contain their laughter. "Well, then, let's go!" Cedric started to walk away from her, not realizing that she wasn't walking with him. She didn't have yearning to go just yet; she still had one more thing to do.

"Wait," she said calmly. Both of them turned around to see what happened; Baileywick seemed like he was going to attack her any minute. "These men don't deserve to be here…I've been with my father when he would order these men to prison. None of them were in the wrong. I want to help them to be free and I want them to be free right now."

Baileywick sighed as he raced over to Sofia and said, "That is a lovely thought, dear, but we really must go, you need to get that emerald and…"

"Wait, what emerald?" Cedric questioned, gazing into Sofia's eyes.

She didn't answer him and turned her attention back on the men. "No, Baileywick, I need them out now. They've been in here long enough. You can wait outside the dungeon if you'd like." Baileywick frowned through gritted teeth and backed away to let her do her thing. Cedric once more asked about the emerald; however Sofia did not respond and began freeing her people through magic.

One by one, she released the men in the cells. All of them were crying with joy and shouting at the top of their lungs how thankful they were to have a princess like Sofia. While she was helping them, Cedric was watching her, smiling to himself. _She has a heart of gold_…he thought. He too was thankful that the kingdom had a princess like her. Without her, Cedric would still be a cold-hearted and selfish person; she helped him open up and she never gave up on him. Thinking about all that she's done for him made his heart soar. He loved that girl, of course not romantically, but the way any friend should love their companion.

The last prisoner was the man who yelled at Sofia. He gazed up at her from the shadows and slowly crept toward the cell door. The princess smiled at him and she unlocked the door with the flick of her wand. With shaking hands, he pushed the cell door open while he still looked at Sofia. Again, she beamed and with her wand made a gold bar appear in front of her. She handed it kindly to the man who appeared stunned.

"So your family never starves," Sofia said, resting her arms by her side.

The man kept looking at Sofia, then down at the gold bar, then back at Sofia. His mouth was wide open; he was shocked to see how someone would do such a generous deed for him. "T-thank you, Princess Sofia," and he grinned as he left the cell door to join his fellow prisoners in a small circle.

"Well, Princess Sofia," Baileywick said, "how do you think we're supposed to get fifty men out of the castle without being seen?" He still was worried which also concerned Sofia and even Cedric.

"Have you forgotten, dear Baileywick, that I have a wand?" Sofia asked, waving her wand around proudly. She directed her concentration on the fifty men and spoke loud and confidently, "I want you all to hold each others' hands. Yes, it sounds weird but you'll see what will happen, now one of you will hold mine," and once she said that, one man grabbed her hand smoothly, "Now I want everyone to think of the village," She gave them a second or two to picture it, "Keep thinking about it, I'm going to say a spell, alright, one…two…three…Transporto!"

The men all gasped in surprise as they watched the dark and chilly dungeon form into the warm and cheery village. They all gleefully ran around their hometown, excited to see their homes and families again. Sofia examined them all and smiled; she loved seeing others happy and she wished her father loved that feeling too. He used to, but he doesn't anymore. She tried to be optimistic about everything, so she told herself that she will help him have a change of heart. That's if he doesn't get so mad before she could even speak to him. Sighing at the thought of her father, she raised her wand, thought of the dungeon (quivering at the thought of being there again), and said "Transporto."

* * *

Note: I'm back! Okay, I'm really sorry for leaving for like two months. Senior year is really busy and I'm finally done with it, so I can focus on writing again. I'm officially a college student! Yay for college! Anyway, I hope to finish this story before I go to college. I think there might be four or five more chapters? I don't know. I always end up throwing in something stupid like in chapter 8, they were supposed to get Cedric and get the emerald, but while I was writing it, I was thinking 'man it would be kinda mean if they just left the innocent men in the dungeon...' So, they'll get the emerald next chapter and you'll see what power it possesses.


	9. Chapter 9 - Sofia's Choice

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First.

Chapter 9: Sofia's Choice

Sofia was back in the dungeon before Baileywick and Cedric knew it. She was only gone for a few minutes, so it's not like the two men had to wait a while for her to return. In fact, to them, it felt like only a minute. While she was gone, they stared at each other deep in thought about Sofia's kindness even in the darkest times of her life; they admired her for it.

She smiled at them, placing her wand under her shirtsleeve. Baileywick rested his hand on her shoulder and with a grin said, "You're a good kid, Sofia. Don't ever lose that kindness you have. It's what makes you special." Cedric nodded in agreement as he looked around the empty dungeon. He was proud to know that Sofia was the one who freed the men from their misery.

Sofia smiled wider and pulled them into an embrace. Even if her father didn't have a change of heart, she knew that Baileywick and Cedric were like her family and she could count on them to support her. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking in their warmth until she heard the banging of pots and pans from upstairs in the kitchen. She let go, peering up at the ceiling as if she could see right through it and find out what was happening.

"We should probably go..." Cedric said, motioning them to follow him. He glanced at Sofia who was full of fear; he could tell just by the way her hands were folded to herself. "And I will protect you, Sofia, as much as I can. I promise."

Sofia looked at him and he noticed that the fear in her eyes had disappeared sightly. She cleared her throat and spoke with a trembling voice, "You...you have your wand, right?" She assumed since it was Cedric and he always had his wand with him since he was a sorcerer. However, he shook his head which made her eyes fill back up with dismay.

"No, um..." Cedric began saying before he remembered that Baileywick, who was under a spell, broke it, "it broke...but still fear not, I am a pretty strong man," Baileywick chuckled when he said that. Cedric scowled and continued, "I can throw some punches if anyone tried to harm you."

"Wait, Mr. Cedric, if you didn't have your wand, how did you summon us to the dungeon?" Sofia asked, thinking that Cedric may be able to use magic without a wand.

Cedric frowned and said, "Hm, I didn't..." No one spoke for a minute. Baileywick and Sofia were looking at each other with questioning looks. Cedric broke the silence and muttered, "Um...well, we really must be going," he turned to Sofia, "don't you have to get something?"

"Oh yes," Sofia said, releasing herself from her thoughts, "I have to get an emerald. My mom told me to get it and give it to my father."

"Wait, what?" Cedric said with his eyebrow raised, "Your mother is dead, Sofia, are you feeling okay? Did you say the Transporto spell wrong?" He went off asking her a bunch of questions, but Sofia stopped him.

"Owlly's Mirror," was all she said and began to lead the way out of the dungeon, though she wasn't sure where she was going because she didn't have the rose petals to guide her. She was reflecting on the last thing Cedric said to her. _Your mother is dead, Sofia..._ She wasn't sure why those words stung her so hard; her mother had been dead for two years now. Maybe seeing her in Owlly's Mirror made her miss her even more. She noticed that tears were streaming down her face and she quickly wiped them away before anyone could see them.

"Once we take a left, we should be out of the dungeon," Baileywick said, turning back every second to check if any strange creature was following them.

They took a left and heard shouting on the other side of the door. Cedric grabbed Sofia's arm and forced her behind him. He gripped the door handle and gently cracked the door open. He peeked his eye through the small crack and examined the room outside. Roland II was yelling at everyone to find Baileywick which made poor Baileywick gulp at the sound of his name.

Cedric whipped around to look at Baileywick and said, "You have to go out...we don't want him to get angry, do we?"

"But he'll get even angrier when he finally finds me. He'll start shouting 'Where have you been?' and I don't know what to tell him and how to stay calm about it. I'm usually a calm person but not when I'm being yelled at!" Baileywick exclaimed, beginning to panic. Sofia frowned at him sympathetically and rubbed his shoulder to sooth him.

"Just tell him you were checking up on me. You were under a spell when he threw me in the dungeon...just act like you're under a spell," Cedric responded.

"And how do I do that?" Baileywick inquired with a very confused expression.

"Just do whatever he wants you to do, even if you don't want to do it," Cedric said, "If Sofia and I go out, we will get in even more trouble than you. Please, do it for Sofia." Cedric didn't like to sound pressuring like this, but he needed Baileywick to go through with it. It was the only way Sofia wouldn't get caught by her father.

"Okay," Baileywick said and he turned the doorknob, leaving the two behind. He cleared his throat and walked over to Roland II, trying his very best to put on a brave face. Roland II turned around shocked to see Baileywick standing in front of the dungeon doors.

"And what exactly were you doing down there?" Roland II asked, tapping his foot on the ground, waiting for him to respond.

"I was checking on Cedric to see that he didn't try to escape. Ha, you know sorcerers, they'll try to find a way to escape..." Baileywick swallowed hard. _Oh, he's not believing this..._he thought. However, Roland II just shrugged.

"Well, okay...but I needed you. I need to discuss Cedric's execution. It's this evening." Roland II said, handing him a list of things he needed done before the execution.

"Uh, yes," Baileywick said with a squeaky voice, "Right, Cedric's execution. Let's go discuss it IN YOUR OFFICE." He made sure he said that part as loud as he could, so Sofia and Cedric knew that it was safe to leave.

Roland II just stared and said quietly to himself, "Hm...maybe he needs more potion," then he cleared his throat and spoke louder, "Um..let's stop at my room first." Then, they began walking.

Cedric listened closely to the sound of their footsteps as they got farther and farther away. He opened the door a little more and peeked his head through the door, then stepped out. He studied the room and went back to Sofia, who was still behind the door. "It's safe," he whispered, "now, where is the emerald?"

"In the jewel room," she stated, pointing to the right as she stepped into the room, "We have to take a right, another right, walk straight for a while and at the end of the hall, there it is. We have to hurry though; I don't want to get caught by my dad."

"Neither do I," Cedric retorted, "Now, come on."

Sofia and Cedric quickly began walking to the jewel room. Sofia would worry every time they took a step closer to the jewel room; she feared running into her dad. What made her anxiety even worse is when Cedric would accidentally run into the knight statues and the armor would echo through the castle. Sofia would end up running to the closest room and hide in there while Cedric got himself together. Then, he would ask Sofia to come back out and apologize a hundred times for frightening her. However, after a few minutes, he would run into a knight statue, starting the cycle all over again.

"We're almost to the jewel room," Sofia stated as she dashed down the hall to the jewel room. Cedric was right behind her, but he had a hard time keeping up.

Sofia opened the door to the jewel room and started her search for the emerald though it wasn't going to be difficult. She already knew where it was for she was the one to put it in there. She turned to see where Cedric was; she got so excited that she took off running to the jewel room. Cedric was staring at the ground with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

"Sof...Sofia...no more running, unless it's re...really necessary," Cedric puffed. He straightened up and glanced at the jewels around him. "So, an emerald? What kind of emerald?"

Sofia seemed confused and said, "Well, I'm not sure. It was very green and shiny the last time I saw it. That was two years ago though. It might not be the same. I know where I put it though, it's right..." she scanned the jewels in the cases until she found the shiny, green emerald, "here!" She opened the case with her wand and gazed at it with wondering eyes. The jewel was beautiful; it was even greener and shiner than it was two years ago.

"That is a beautiful emerald," Cedric said, stroking its smooth texture, "Ah, this is not just any emerald, it's a Memortime emerald." Sofia nodded her head as if she already knew, but Cedric still went on, "Do you know what the emerald does?"

Now this was new to Sofia; she didn't know this emerald possessed magical powers. She shook her head and said, "No."

"Well, a Memortime emerald has the power to show others memories. Like let's say, you wanted to show me the time you mastered turning a rock into a ruby, you would think about that memory and then blow on the emerald and the memory would show up on the emerald."

Sofia's face lit up and exclaimed, "That's so cool! Let me try!" She closed her eyes, recalling memories of the good times that she had with Cedric. She blew at the emerald and saw her memory escape from her lips onto the emerald. She gasped and looked up at Cedric who was smiling down at her.

"Oh, I see" Cedric said with his grin growing bigger, "The time you helped me get the family wand. That was a good day...I mean except for the part that my father kept belittling me."

"It was much easier back then..." Sofia said. Her expression changed completely and so did the tone in her voice. Sofia blew on the emerald again and saw her family including her mom all gathered around the table at dinner time. Her mom and dad were smiling and holding hands, James was being a goof ball, Amber was talking with Sofia about her tiaras, and even Baileywick was happy. She didn't even realize she was crying until she felt Cedric wipe away a tear on her face.

Sofia sniffed and said, "Sorry...um, what else does the emerald do?"

"Well, a Memortime emerald can let you travel back in time to that memory, but time can be rewritten because of people going back and I don't really recommend it," Cedric said with a tiny laugh, "My friends back in school had this emerald and they tried going back to a memory and well, I never saw them again."

Sofia stared at him for a while. Could she go back to when her mom died? _No_, she thought, _he doesn't want me to...oh, but mom and dad...maybe if I just didn't get the emerald and come home with the medicine. Dad wouldn't get mad at me and mom would still be alive. _"How would you even travel to the memory anyway?" Sofia asked, nonchalantly.

"You just blow an extra time. So, two times," Cedric told her. He knew Sofia was always interested in knowing more information, so he didn't think much of her question. That was until he saw the memory of her mother of her deathbed.

"No! Sofia!" he began shouting, but she pushed him away as tears began pouring down her cheeks.

"Mr. Cedric, I can't live with being afraid of my dad! I'm going back even it means you never see me again! Thanks for everything you have done for me. I love you." Sofia screamed, then blew on the emerald one more time.

"No!" Cedric exclaimed, lunging at Sofia and they both disappeared, leaving the jewel room completely empty and silent.

* * *

Note: Woo! Hey, I'm lazy! Okay part of it was laziness and the other part was I got a new computer and it didn't have Microsoft Word. I still don't have it so I downloaded OpenOffice. I miss writing and I'm really sorry. Anyway, this chapter was kinda hard to write. I would get writer's block like after every sentence. It sucked so much. I want to point out something. When Sofia says 'I love you', it is NOT romantically. I do not ship them that way. I ship them 100000% as friends and teacher/student. You would tell your friends you love them if you believed that you would never see them again. I mean, I know I would. Haha. Also, yayayay for Sofia being emotional! She cried like three times in this chapter. I hope people are okay with that?! Family issues are TOUGH.

Thanks for favoriting, following, and commenting on my stories! Special thanks to AquaTurquoise and CedricAmber cuz you guys are awesome and very supportive. Thank you.


	10. Chapter 10 - Queen Miranda's Dying Wish

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First.

Chapter 10: Queen Miranda's Dying Wish

They were falling; falling through nothing but darkness. Cedric clung onto Sofia as hard as he could, believing that this was the end for both of them. He wanted to cry, not for himself but for Sofia. He knew she had a promising future and she ruined that by her desire to make everything right again. He was ripped from his thoughts when he saw the memory of Sofia's mother laying on her bed getting closer and closer to them. The light of the memory was shining on their skin and the two friends could finally see each other again.

Sofia peered up at Cedric who was looking back at her; they both were afraid of what was going to happen next. Sofia closed her eyes tight and hoped for the best. Suddenly, she felt something under her feet. She popped her eyes open and noticed that her feet were touching the ground. She sighed in relief and turned around to find Cedric who was in a pile of books and trinkets. He stood up, massaging his head and glanced at the woman on the bed.

"Mom," Sofia said, faintly. She started to run up to the bed, but Cedric pulled her back. She stared at him with anger in her eyes; he had never seen her appear so cross.

"Sofia, you can't talk to her. In a few minutes, you, your dad, and Amber are going to walk through the door and they can't see you. It will mess up everything," Cedric said, irritated. He was a bit upset that she went ahead and time traveled even though he told her it was treacherous. However, Sofia still glared at him with eyes full of disgust. "Please, Sofia..." he begged.

"But my mom, why can't I just talk to her before I walk in?" Sofia asked, "Please, Mr. Cedric, I need to talk to her again...I mean, without her disappearing and I just..."

"I said no, Sofia!" Cedric yelled, wishing that he could swallow his words once they came out. He had never been that harsh with her and seeing her step back in fear made him feel even more guilty. "I'm sorry..." he tried again, "It just won't work."

"Okay," Sofia whispered, "we should probably hide so they don't see us."

Cedric nodded, ushering her to a dresser that they hid behind. He felt sorry that she couldn't talk to her mother, however if one of them saw Sofia, it could mess up history forever. He didn't know how things would turn out for Sofia; life could be even worse or maybe better. He didn't know but he didn't want to take any chances.

The door swung open and the sounds of distressed voices echoed the room. Sofia could hear Amber wailing and her father was trying to calm her down. Sofia could hear her fourteen year old self crying as well, but it wasn't as loud as Amber's.

"Mom," Amber cried, "Please don't die. I'll do anything to keep you alive. Just...just...please...don't..." Her cries cut off her ability to talk and she wailed even louder now. Sofia's heart broke at the sound of hearing her sister cry. She turned to Cedric who was listening carefully to everything being said. He looked terrified; Sofia believed that he was just worried that they were going to get caught.

"Amber, dear, don't worry about me," Miranda said, weakly, "Everyone has to go at some point and my time is now. You will be alright, you all will be alright." Sofia winced at hearing her mom so weak; she almost wanted to step out of hiding and go hug her. It was like Cedric read her mind for he quickly gripped her arm.

"You can't do anything, remember?" Cedric murmured, "I know it's hard, but you can't mess anything up."

"No, Miranda, you won't die," Roland II said, making everyone look at him as if he were crazy, "I know a place where we can get you the right medicine." Miranda was about to object to his idea, but he kept going. "The Forest of Evas! You ask for any wish and they will grant it to you." He began dancing for joy, "You will live, my dear!"

"I want to go," fourteen year old Sofia said, raising her wand in the air. Her mother and father both stared at her with disapproving eyes. "Please, I know my magic, thanks to Mr. Cedric. How hard can it be when I know how to do a Protection Spell?"

Amber piped in, "I want to go too! If Sofia is going then I want to help her as well. Besides, daddy, you have a kingdom to run. How can you run a kingdom if you are in the Forest of Evas?" Sofia knew that Amber was extremely talented at being persuasive.

Roland II frowned and said, "I mean, I guess you're right, but be careful. It can be dangerous, especially once you get closer to the medicine part of the forest." He kissed Amber and Sofia on the forehead and was about to kiss Miranda when he saw her looking at him, furiously.

"What are you thinking?" she said, beginning to cough, "Sending are daughters out into a dangerous forest. And yes, the closer to the medicine part of the forest the more dangerous it gets, like really dangerous. No one has made it out of that part alive. No one has even gotten to the medicine before dying. Are you crazy, Rolly?" She was going to say more, but her sickness won over her and she began coughing and wheezing.

"We'll be fine, mom," Amber replied. Even though she was scared that she might die, she still yearned to try. If this was the last chance to save her mother, then she would definitely take the chance.

Miranda glanced at Amber and fourteen year old Sofia, then back at Roland II. "No," she said, "I'm not putting our children through that. The farthest I will ever let them go is miscellaneous wishes section, but that's it."

"Oh, darling, I think they'll be fine. Sofia has her wand and I trust Cedric has taught her well. Besides, Amber's right, I need to run the kingdom and if I left, I know that Baileywick would go insane with all the things he had to do." He chuckled and kissed her softly. "I love you." He left, smiling at his family; the thought of curing his wife overjoyed him.

Miranda waited for a while before speaking. Amber and fourteen year old Sofia watched her carefully while glimpsing at each other. "You are not going to the medicine section of the forest. Go to the miscellaneous wishes section and wish for the emerald your father's always wanted...the Memortime emerald. I will not have you two die for the sake of me."

"But mom, I have a wand and I know sorcery so well, I can save you, I swear," fourteen year old Sofia argued. The pain in her eyes broke her mother's heart. Amber simply stared at her mom in absolute horror; why would she want to die?

"Sofia, no," her mother responded, taking Sofia's hands and squeezing them tight, "I know you two want to save me from my illness but I'd rather die than have you two die." She waited for the two heartbroken girls to respond, but they didn't speak; they were too shocked to say a word. Sofia shook her head violently and opened her mouth, then closed it. There was no arguing with her mother; she was too stubborn.

"I love you, girls," Miranda said, pulling the sisters into an embrace, "This is my dying wish." She kissed them each on the cheek and told them she didn't feel well and needed to rest. The conflicted girls backed away slowly from their mother and departed from the room.

"So, your mother didn't want the medicine?" Cedric asked, but he wasn't sure why because he knew the answer. "...Because she knew you all would die in the forest."

Sofia nodded her head and said, "Yeah. She thought we would die. Amber and I argued about this the entire ride to the Forest of Evas. We said maybe we should go against her will and get the medicine anyway. Then I said I would feel bad that I disobeyed her and she would punish us once she returned to health. I guess we were being really selfish. We were so conflicted."

"Why didn't you ever tell your father that she wanted you to get the Memortime emerald? And why this emerald?" Cedric asked, conflicted himself.

"I guess she wanted him to have one of his favorite emeralds?" Sofia said, unsure of the answer. She wasn't certain why she wanted him to have this one. "Amber and I agreed that we wouldn't tell him. We didn't want him feeling mad at mom. He would still get angry at me though...he would probably tell me that I should have gotten the medicine anyway."

"I don't think he would," Cedric answered, "I think he would know you girls didn't know what to do, especially since it was her dying wish. Wait, why does he take his anger out on you when Princess Amber was in on this too?"

"'Cause I never told him," Sofia said, "After we got the emerald, Amber began freaking out and saying how dad was going to get so upset that we didn't get the medicine. I told her I would take the blame." She closed her eyes, letting the memories engulf her. "I remember when we came home, my mom was already dead but my dad insisted on still using the medicine. Apparently, he tried looking for us in the forest because we were taking too long. He tried asking the trees about bringing her back to life; they gave him that mirror instead...uh, Owlly's Mirror."

Cedric remembered reading Roland II's journal; he recalled this section in the book and how much hope he had in those times.

Sofia continued saying, "So, he went back home and placed all his hope in the medicine. Even though the medicine we were supposed to get was only meant for healing the living, he still desired to try it. It was his last chance. I'll never forget the look he had in his eyes when I told him I didn't have the medicine. He was devastated. What scared me the most was how upset he looked and then it turned to a look of hatred. That was the first time my father punched me."

Cedric tried his best to give her a hug, but it was a little difficult being crammed behind a dresser. He looked at her; sometimes he forgot that she had bruises. That's not what he noticed about her, but when she told him the story, he realized that she had much more bruises then he thought she had.

"Well, now, I'm going to make things right." Sofia said, confidently. Cedric tilted his head like a confused puppy. She thought of the memory of being in the Forest of Evas and blew on the emerald. She held Cedric's hand and before blowing a second time, she stated, "This is my last chance to make things right." Then, she blew and they went traveling through time.

* * *

Note: Hi, I'm really tired. So, I started writing this yesterday and I couldn't sleep and I was writing until 5. So, at 5, I try to go to bed but my brain said no. I'm so tired but I can't sleep. My sister wants me to take pictures with her today and I'm gonna look so dead. Haha. I apologize if there are any spelling mistakes or grammar mistakes; I'm spell checking this at 6 and I haven't gotten any sleep like I said. I hope this chapter explains some things. I hope ya'll like it; every time I post a new chapter, I get so worried. Gosh, I just love Sofia the First. I don't care what any one says about me, that shows the best.

Thanks for all your support!


	11. Chapter 11 - Hope is Gone?

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First.

Chapter 11: Hope is Gone?

"Sofia!" Cedric exclaimed, as they were encircled by darkness again, "You gotta stop doing this so suddenly, at least give me a heads up!" He held tightly to her hand. He was still skeptical about the emerald's time traveling powers.

"Sorry!" Sofia shouted back, giggling. Unlike Cedric, she enjoyed traveling through time; the feeling was exhilarating to her.

The memory was growing closer and the light was shimmering on their skin. Sofia turned to Cedric who looked as if he was going to hurl. She frowned guiltily; she probably should have warned him so he can prepare himself.

When they reached the ground, Sofia's eyes opened wide and mouth dropped when she saw the forest in front of her. She didn't remember it looking as beautiful and big. Maybe she felt so conflicted that she wasn't paying attention to the details of the enchanting forest. The pine trees were tall and green and the smell was so inviting; obviously it smelled like pine trees. They all had faces on them, however, each had a different expression—some were happy, others were sad, some look like they would attack her any minute. She told herself not to speak to those trees. There was a dirt road in front of them and wherever there wasn't dirt, there was green grass.

Sofia walked up to the sign on the side of the dirt road; it showed where each section of the forest was. If they walked a few feet, they would be at the miscellaneous wishes section, if they headed down right, they would end up at the beauty wishes, and if they walked to the left, they would find themselves at the medicine wishes.

"And how exactly are you going to make this all better?" Cedric inquired, hoping that he wouldn't have to time travel ever again, besides when they would return home.

"I'm going to the medicine section of the forest. I have my wand and I have you, so I will be okay!" Sofia said, determined and self-assured, but her motivation dropped when Cedric shook his head.

"Magic doesn't work in memories. You can't fight off things with your wand, you can't make things appear if you need them, and you can't transport. The only so called magic thing we have is the Memortime emerald." Cedric expressed, examining the sign. He saw Sofia's expression change from overconfident to fear; was she going to turn back now and go home?

"I still want to try," she declared, "Wand or no wand, I need to make this right." She whipped around and began her journey through the Forest of Evas with Cedric.

They both weren't sure when things would start to get hazardous. They dreaded running into fire breathing dragons, giant spiders, a thousand knights waiting to stab them, or anything that would challenging to deal with without any sort of weapon. The more they traveled into the forest the darker it got and trees looked angrier at them. They would stare at them, without blinking or taking their eyes off them, and would bellow 'TURN BACK!' Every time a tree would scream at them, they would topple to the ground; it would scare them so badly. However, Sofia refused to turn around.

"We warned you..." one tree shrieked, shaking his branches ferociously.

"They'll kill you if you walk any further..." another tree roared, attempting to use his branches to block their way, but Sofia pushed them aside.

Sofia crept closer to Cedric, hoping that they wouldn't cross paths with the mysterious killers. The wind began to pick up and the trees would howl with the wind. The noise was unpleasant and Sofia wished it would stop, but the deeper they tread in the forest, the louder they would get. Cedric placed his hands over his ears. Maybe this was what was so dangerous; perhaps the trees would scream so loudly that it could kill someone.

Suddenly, the trees stopped. The two travelers analyzed the area; they weren't sure why their singing ceased. Nothing was around them, until Cedric caught something in the corner of his eye. He prayed that what he saw was merely a hallucination. _No..._he thought, _not that, anything but that. _He slowly wrapped his fingers around Sofia's wrist.

"Don't move," Cedric said as calmly as he could, "If we move, we're dead." However, he knew no matter how calmly he said it, they were still in an extremely terrifying situation.

"Mr...Mr...Cedric," Sofia muttered, quivering, "What is that?" She observed it plod around the forest and huff and puff every time it heard Sofia or Cedric speak. It appeared to have so many arms, legs, and heads that Sofia lost count. Her stomach was twisting when the creature turned one of its heads to look at them.

"I didn't think these actually existed," he replied with amazement in his voice, "they are one of the most dangerous creatures around. They're called Anthropomen. These creatures start off as just one man, like you and me, and then they die in the forest. Well once another person dies, they attach themselves to the other man and the cycle keeps going and going. It never stops. Once they latch onto each other, they began looking more deformed and grow things normal humans shouldn't have. These creatures should not be messed with...even a sorcerer shouldn't mess with them. They will tear you apart...they're like lions...only human." He watched the creature shuffle around the forest; now four heads were gazing at them. He whispered even softer, "Give me the emerald."

Sofia was taken back and fought hard to not move her body. She knew what he wanted to do and she was not going to let that happen. "No," she said, holding the emerald closer to her.

"Sofia," Cedric said more sternly, "We really don't have time. We need to get out of here now."

"But this is my only chance!" She was getting louder which made more heads turn and their bodies start creeping up to them. She felt Cedric's hand on the emerald and she hastily whipped around, screaming "You won't make me go back!"

Before she could even think, the Anthropomen were charging at her and knocked her hard to the ground. The emerald flew out of her hands and she struggled to get it back, but the creature was forcing her down. She felt like she couldn't breathe; the Anthropomen were crushing her body. They dug their sharp claws into her skin causing her to scream in agony. Blood was pouring out of her skin as they dug harder and began to bite on her arm. She fought to get them off, but they were too strong. She felt a hand clutch her arm and the pain was starting to disappear.

She was in darkness again, but this time the ride wasn't exciting; she thought she was dead and this was the way to the afterlife. She closed her eyes and held onto the hand that was guiding her.

* * *

When Sofia awoke, she found herself in an unfamiliar place. She massaged her arms, noticing bandages all over her skin. She rested her head back on the soft bed she was laying on. She was nodding off again, but snapped awake when she saw a well-known face. It was Cedric who was with Wormwood. The bird cawed at her and she smiled sleepily, her eyes drooping. She closed her eyes again and almost traveled to dreamland when she realized—this wasn't the Forest of Evas.

Her eyes sprung open and she jumped out of the bed. She swung open the door and the first thing she noticed was that she was in Cedric's workshop. _Wait, why am I here?_ she thought. Then she noticed the tall, skinny man with his raven on his shoulder. He was sitting down, reading a book about mythical creatures and on the table was the emerald; they couldn't be in modern day, could they?

"Where are we?" Sofia demanded, marching up to Cedric furiously. He glanced up and placed his book down on his lap. He took her hand and had her sit down with him and she did so cautiously.

"We're in modern day," Cedric simply said, knowing that she was going to flip out any minute now. He watched her, but her face didn't turn red instead it turned pale, extremely pale, as if all the color had been drained from her face. He wasn't expecting that, so he continued. "I know why your mother didn't want you there. Even I didn't know how dangerous it was until I was there. You almost died, Sofia. Your mother didn't want that happening to you."

She stayed silent; she wanted to die. She had never felt that way before, but she knew she didn't feel like living. She tried so hard to make everything right and now all hope is lost. Her dad was still angry, Amber and James were still not able to talk to her, her mom was still dead—everything was still the same.

"Sofia...please, say something," Cedric pleaded as he kept observing her. Her body was now shaking and tears were dripping down her face but she didn't bother to wipe them away and neither did he.

"I..." she said. She couldn't finish her sentence and she collapsed into his arms, sobbing. "I just wanted everything to be okay!" She screamed, "Why did she have to die? Why couldn't I have just died while trying to get her medicine? It would have been so much better that way. It would have...I don't wanna live." She kept repeating the last sentence over and over again, breaking Cedric's heart every time she would say that.

"It wouldn't have been better that way. Do you understand how incredible you are? You've helped so many people in your life. Why would you ever think that? You're wonderful," Cedric said, "Everything will be okay, Sofia," He thought he was doing a good job at consoling her until she shot up, glaring at him.

"No, it's not gonna be okay!" she yelled, "For two years, nothing has been okay. It's just been miserable for the whole family. I mean, not just the family, I can tell even Baileywick suffers too. Don't you have a spell that can make everything better?"

"No, dear, I don't," he said, trying to get her to sit back down. At first, she was hesitant but she eventually agreed to sit back down. He gave her a big hug, then looked at her with his brown eyes. "I'm going to be here for you, I promise and I will never break that promise. You are not only my apprentice, but my friend and friends need to be there for each other. You were always there for me, now I'm going to be here for you."

Sofia stared at the ground for a moment, then peered up at Cedric. She smiled vaguely, letting all of Cedric's words sink in. _You're wonderful...do you understand how incredible you are...I'm going to be here for you, I promise... _At first, she didn't believe a single word he said, but why would he tell her this if he didn't truly believe it? Cedric was not always a pleasant person and when he was nice, he really meant it. Sofia knew that he believed everything he said; he believed in her.

"Thank you, Mr. Cedric," she said as more tears poured out of her eyes, "Even though nothing will be the way it used to be, I will always have you and I know that won't ever change. You're my best friend."

He hugged her tighter and said nothing; he was afraid if he said anything else, it might ruin the moment for both of them. Even though Sofia would still have to live with her with wicked stepfather and Cedric would have to try to shelter her from it, they both felt content.

Cedric watched her as she closed her eyes, enjoying the moment between them and then she fell asleep. He laughed softly to himself as he picked her up and carried her to his bedroom again. She was always so tired. He remembered how when it would get too late, she would fall asleep in his workshop, attempting to perform a spell. He would have to carry her back to her room.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed that the door to his workshop had opened and closed. He frowned in confusion and he went to see who or what opened his door. When he glanced back at Sofia one more time and turned back to his workshop, he found himself face to face with Roland II.

* * *

Note: This would have been posted sooner but my friend, at the last minute, was like 'hey let's go to the beach' and I was like 'okay.' I ALSO WENT TO BED BATH AND BEYOND AND I GOT MYSELF A SOFIA CUP. I was supposed to be shopping for college supplies but once I saw that, I HAD TO GET IT. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. This one and the previous one are the ones I am most worried about. I actually really don't like to write emotional scenes because I have a hard time writing them and for some reason, I get very uncomfortable. However, adventures are fun. So, the creature in this chapter sounds like something either from Doctor Who or a creepypasta. My imagination is so messed up, haha, I'm sorry.

Thanks for the comments! My sister ending up not taking pictures which was great because I looked dead. She's probably gonna do it another day though. :P I SERIOUSLY LOVE EVERYONE AND YOU MAKE ME SO HAPPY. THANK YOU!


	12. Chapter 12 - The Redeeming Dream

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First.

Chapter 12: The Redeeming Dream

"Where could she be? I've searched everywhere around the village!" Winifred cried, pacing back and forth. Sofia had all of the sudden disappeared; all that was left was her luggage and her pet rabbit. They had searched all day for her and now the sun was beginning to set.

"Don't worry, Winifred," Goodwin said, hoping to get her to relax, "I'm sure she's fine. Sofia's sixteen and very mature for her age, she can handle herself quite well." He sat down on the sofa and patted the seat, so his worried wife would join him, but she shook her head.

"I know she can handle herself, Goody," Winifred snapped. She could be somewhat mean when she was anxious; it was her way of coping with the situation at hand. "But what did we do wrong? Why did she run away? I thought she loved us and enjoyed being at Mystic Meadows!"

"Of course she loves us, I know that for sure," Goodwin replied, "There's only one place I could think of where she went and that's back home."

Winifred looked at him, baffled and said, "Well, why would she go back there if she's in danger? I know Sofia's smart, I know she wouldn't go there stupidly and possibly get herself killed. Oh, dear, what was she even thinking?" Her pacing grew faster which made Goodwin sit up and place his hands on her shoulders lovingly.

"I think I know," he said, "it's because of Cedric. Remember how she was so worried about him?"

Winifred's anxiety slightly decreased, but she was still worried if Sofia was in peril. She couldn't lose Cedric's only friend; her poor son would be devastated. She took a deep breath and said, "Well, if she's in Enchancia then I'm going to get her."

* * *

Sofia's eye shot open when she heard two familiar voices ringing into her room. Her heart began pounding when she detected that it was Cedric and her father arguing. There was a sharp slap and it echoed throughout the workshop. Then, there was silence, nothing could be heard except for Sofia's heavy breathing. She could hear muttering and groaning from the workshop and then laughing, menacing laughing.

She jumped out of bed and tried to yank the door open, but it wouldn't open. She kept tugging and tugging but the door wouldn't budge. She heard scrambling of the two men on the other side and she continued to apprehensively ajar the door. Again, there was silence.

"Don't...please...you can kill me just don't hurt her," that was Cedric's feeble voice. Sofia could tell that he had been fighting with her father and currently, he was losing the battle. "I'll make a deal with you..." Cedric spoke up again, "You can kill me tonight at my execution and I won't fight you, I swear...only as long as you don't ever hurt Sofia ever again. Is that a deal?"

"Fine," Roland said, "it's a deal." Sofia could hear him kicking Cedric in the stomach, causing him to fall to the ground, groaning.

"NO!" Sofia screamed on the other said of the door. Again, she pulled at the door, kicked at the door, punched the door, and tried everything she could do to open it. She grabbed her wand and used an unlocking spell, but that wouldn't work either. "MR. CEDRIC, DON'T! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS! I NEED YOU! NO!"

She still fought the door; she wasn't going to have her poor sorcerer die for the sake of her. Now she knew how her mother felt. She screamed at her dad, begging him to explain everything but he either didn't listen or they were both out of Cedric's workshop. _No..._she kept repeating to herself_...this can't be happening...Mr. Cedric can't die...no..._

She slowly sank to the ground, feeling all her hopes fall with her. She was trapped in a room and she couldn't even attempt to save her friend. What if her dad didn't keep his word once Cedric died? Then she would have no one to talk to besides Baileywick, but half the time, he was under a spell. Cedric lied; everything wasn't going to get better and it was spiraling to worse. She felt defeated.

She sat there for what felt like hours and wept bitterly. She was all alone; she might as well stay in this room until the day she dies. She noticed the outside was growing darker and she knew that Cedric's execution would began shortly. She didn't dare go to the open window to watch it; it would destroy her too much. She could hear her father yelling from the outside to get the wood ready. Oh, her father's favorite, death by being burned on a stake.

The wind began to pick up and she shivered when the cool air stroked her pale skin. A rose petal flew in and landed next to Sofia's feet; it began glowing. A few more rose petals made its way into the room and settled with the other glowing rose petals. A dozen of them swooped in and enveloped Sofia, making her lightheaded. The room around her began turning black and soon she was passed out on the floor.

* * *

_There was whiteness all around her. Sofia tried to find an exit but everywhere she went there was whiteness. She started to panic; she didn't want to live in a world that was nothing but light. No people, no houses, nothing—she wanted to leave. She saw a few rose petals around her feet and she swept them into her hand. They looked familiar to her; they were the petals that led them to the dungeon. She peered up and saw someone she's been yearning to see for a while._

_ "Sofia," her mother said, smiling, "Come here." She extended her arms for her to embrace her but Sofia was uncertain. Wasn't she not supposed to touch her mother or she won't be able to return to the real world?_

_ "But I can't touch you, mom," Sofia said, hurt straining her throat, "I thought that if I do, I'll be stuck in the mirror..."_

_ "I'm not in the mirror," she replied, "This is your dream. You can do whatever you want." _

_ Sofia smiled and ran up to her mother, hugging her as tight as she could. Even though it was a dream, she felt so real. Her body felt the same as it did when she was alive; her eyes were as bright as they were; her hair was just as silky. She didn't look sick; she looked healthy and full of life. She looked just as, if more, beautiful as she did before her sickness. _

_ Miranda stoked Sofia's wavy, brown hair and said, "You know, I gave you the emerald for a reason and I want you to use it not for time traveling, but for seeing memories." Sofia gazed at her, completely bewildered. Why would she want her to see memories? All they do is remind her that the woman in front of her is dead and she's never getting her back. Miranda smiled and continued, "Memories can change people, they can help them cope. They make others feel emotions. What do you feel when you see old memories?"_

_ "I feel sadness," Sofia said, resting her head in her mother's chest, "I wish it was the way it used to be." She frowned at thinking about the old memories. _

_ "Well, maybe, if you show these memories to someone, just maybe they'll feel the same way," Miranda said, then lifted Sofia's chin for her to look at her, "I'll always be with you, Sofia. I think about you and the rest of the family everyday. I love you."_

* * *

Sofia awoke on the floor, staring at the ceiling above her. She drearily sat up and watched the rose petals glide out of the room into the night sky. She felt stronger, not physically but mentally; she knew her mother was going to be by her side, aiding her with all her obstacles she faced. She turned to the door; it was open. How did that happen? A ghost of a smile appeared on her face, reliving the dream, but she was forced from her thoughts when she heard, "Bring the prisoner forth!"

She darted to the window, goggling at the image before her. There was Cedric being pulled along by two soldiers, but he didn't struggle just like he said would. When they got to the post, they forced his hands behind his back and tied him to the post. He had no emotion on his face and he seemed like he was staring directly at her.

Just then, two wizards appeared in front of the crowd who were waiting for the poor man to be executed. They jumped once they saw the man about to be burnt alive.

"Mr. Goodwin...Mrs. Winifred..." Sofia whispered, heavy-hearted. It must have been overwhelming to see their innocent son about to be killed. She heard Winifred scream at Roland II, but the man just stayed in his position and told the guards to start the flames.

Sofia couldn't watch anymore; she had to get down there before they killed Cedric. She knew what she had to do. She dashed out the mysteriously open door and snatched the emerald, hoping that this would save everyone's lives.

* * *

Note: Hey, there's probably going to be three or four more chapters after this one. I'm kinda sad because I've had so much fun writing this story. The only thing I'm worried about is that what do I do after this? I will warn ya'll, I'm a dark writer (you probably knew that, haha). I'm trying to stay positive in my writings; I have a couple one-shot happy stories in mind, but my favorite ones to write are dark stories. I'm really inspired by Edgar Allan Poe (shout-out to him), so yeah. I'll try not to be too dark 'cause I can get extremely dark (Once, I wrote a story about my dolls trying to kill me because I gave one of them special attention and not the others).

I know this chapter is all over the place, but I felt the need to bring back Goodwin and Winifred because you may have been wondering what happened to them. Next chapter might be long because there's a lot going to happen! I'm so excited.

Thanks for all your support! :D


	13. Chapter 13 - Saving Sofia

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First.

Chapter 13: Saving Sofia

Sofia ran down the spiral staircase, listening carefully to the crowd outside. She could hear some of them shouting angry words at Roland II, some of them were mourning, and others were screaming at Cedric to fight for his life. She knew he wouldn't move; he cared about her too much to break his promise. She heard people gasping and Winifred screaming even louder than ever. Sofia picked up her pace and prayed that she wasn't going to be too late.

"Princess Sofia!" someone shouted from up above. She continued to run; she didn't have time for interruptions. The creature swooped down and landed on her shoulder. She glimpsed at the black animal perked on her shoulder. It was Wormwood.

"Wormwood!" she exclaimed, still racing to the execution.

"You have to hurry, princess," Wormwood said, terrified. This was the first time Sofia has heard so much fear in the raven's voice. Of course he was scared; his best friend was about to be burnt on a stake. "They've already started the fires! Use your wand to put out the flames."

She nodded her head, sprinting as fast as she's ever gone. Her feet felt like they were going to fly off the ground. _Please be okay, Mr. Cedric..._she thought.

She reached the execution place and saw flames making their way to Cedric, but not touching him. Everyone was yelling at her father; she felt a little bad for Roland II. All these people were angry and yelling at him, however, he didn't care, in fact, he was smirking. How traumatized was this man that pain was the only way for him to feel joy?

"Extinguetur!" Sofia shouted, pointing her wand to the flames. Suddenly, the flames receded from view and everyone in the crowd cheered. Cedric was gazing at Sofia with worry in his countenance. She was wondering why he seemed anxious, that was until her father turned to look at her; this was the most enraged he's ever been.

He marched to Sofia, each step he took made Sofia's body numb. The crowd was gawking at them, queasy to know what was going to become of the princess. She slowly raised her wand at him as a source of protection, but he simply chuckled, raising his as well. They weren't going to fight, were they? Her father wouldn't dare use magic on his daughter.

"Please, dad, listen to me, I have something important to tell you," Sofia muttered, tightening her grip on the emerald. Her father, however, didn't want to listen; he aimed his wand right at Sofia's chest and shot light through the wand, blowing her backwards.

"YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T HARM HER!" Cedric yelled, now fighting the ropes that bound him. He should have never trusted Roland II; what was he thinking?

Roland II ignored Cedric and crept closer to his beaten-up daughter, but before he knew it, she shot back at him, causing him to fall into the crowd. Angrily, he bounced back up and aimed a harmful spell at Sofia, but before he could say it, Goodwin roared, "Exarmet!" and the wand flew out of Roland II's hands. Winifred hastily seized his wand with her wand, making Roland II's wand vanish into thin air. The king shouted in wrath, glaring at Sofia and the two wizards.

Sofia straighten up and looked at her father staring at her. She could see the hurt and misery in his eyes. Wormwood hissed at him, but Sofia hushed him. _No more suffering..._Sofia thought._...no more pain for the both of us... _

She strolled to her father, taking all the time she needed. Her father was gazing down at her, anger swelling up in his face again, but Sofia remained unshaken. She held the emerald in front of him and he scowled seeing that stupid emerald that kept his wife from living.

"Do you remember this emerald?" Sofia said, bravely, "This is a very important emerald."

"Yeah, what about it?" he snapped, reaching for it. Sofia stepped back; her father was not going to touch it and possibly try to break it.

Even though it was going to bring anguish to Sofia, she recalled a memory and blew on the emerald. Roland II rolled his eyes and turned away, but she placed a hesitant hand on his arm and he turned towards her. He watched the memory drift out of her mouth and onto the emerald.

_"You are not going to the medicine section of the forest. Go to the miscellaneous wishes section and wish for the emerald your father's always wanted...the Memortime emerald. I will not have you two die for the sake of me." Miranda said, as the two girls in the memory glanced at each other confused. _

_ "But mom, I have a wand and I know sorcery so well, I can save you, I swear," fourteen year old Sofia argued. The youngest princess had so much pain in her eyes and Amber was merely staring at her mother in horror. _

_ "Sofia, no," her mother responded, taking Sofia's hands and squeezing them tight, "I know you two want to save me from my illness but I'd rather die then have you two die." There was then silence between all of them; the two girls seemed to be trying to comprehend everything their dying mother had said. Then, fourteen year old Sofia shook her head, attempting to find the words to say, but nothing came out. _

_ "I love you, girls," Miranda said, pulling the sisters into an embrace, "This is my dying wish." She kissed them each on the cheek and the girls stepped out of the room._

The memory faded until there was nothing but the shiny, green emerald. Sofia glanced at her father who was quiet; his face looked inexpressive and he simply stood as still as a statue. He stared at the emerald without blinking and the color was slowly leaving his face. Sofia wasn't sure what he was feeling and she feared he would snap any minute. She forced her head up to look at Cedric who seemed to be sharing the same emotions as Sofia.

Sofia thought of another memory and blew on the emerald. Roland II recognized it immediately; it was the time he gave her the Amulet of Avalor as a welcome gift. Sofia's heart began racing once she saw her mother and father so bright and in love. She wished it could be that way again, but she knew she had to accept that her mother was never coming back.

_"Sofia, I have something for you," Roland declared, holding the amulet in his hands, "Consider it a welcome gift." He held the amulet for little Sofia to see and she gasped at the glistening, purple amulet before her eyes. _

_ "It's...beautiful!" Sofia said, astonished, holding a hand to her heart. _

_ "It's a very special amulet, so you must promise to never take it off," he said, securing the amulet around her tiny neck, "that way, you never lose it."_

_ Sofia held the amulet in her hands and smiled. It was the prettiest piece of jewelry she's ever seen! "I promise," Sofia replied, smiling even brighter. _

The memory continued with them discussing about Sofia's new school at Royal Prep. A small smile curled on Sofia's lips seeing her dad actually talking to Sofia nicely. She turned to her father again; he was still frozen but this time, tears were filling up in his eyes. She had never seen her father cry or even have tears forming in his eyes.

Sofia thought of another memory, but the emerald was snatched out of her hands before she could blow. She gasped, scared to know what her father would do with it. She thought he could change...no, this can't be happening; her father's still the mean man he was a few minutes ago; Cedric's going to die; and everything is going to continue to get worse for her. She could feel tears stinging on her eyes and cheeks.

However, he didn't crush the emerald or throw the emerald or continue Cedric's execution or anything like that—he blew on the emerald. It was the memory of when he was helping Sofia with the Royal Obstacle Course. It was also the memory when Sofia got turned into a cat, but it still was a wonderful memory because of her dad.

_"Okay, Sofia, the key to swing across the moat is getting a good running start," Roland II said, positioning __himself to run, "Like this." He took off running to the rope, but once he tried to swing across the water, he fell in._

_ Sofia giggled and accompanied her father by swinging across the moat and landing perfectly on the ground. _

_ Her drenched father looked up and said, "Well, nothing like a nice, refreshing dip in the middle of a race!" They both laughed as Sofia helped her dad up. _

The father and daughter turned to look at each other and started laughing when they recalled that sweet memory. Sofia hadn't seen him laugh in years and it brought her so much joy to see him like that. She took the emerald from his hands and blew another memory onto the emerald; it was the time Roland II didn't want to be king and became a baker.

_The Royal Family had baked a one hundred layer cake for the Villagers' Ball and were arriving at the castle to deliver it. After Baileywick, who looked disgusted by the cake, left, the Royal Family raced to the magic mirror to wish for their old lives back. _

Roland's II heart sank when he saw his entire family all together in front of the mirror being transformed back into royalty. This is the way it should be. He stroked the emerald as if he were stroking his wife and said, "Miranda..." Tears were sliding down his cheeks but he didn't break down just yet. He didn't want all the villagers and his daughter seeing him at his worst moments.

Dark clouds were starting to form in the night sky and soon it began to drizzle. Roland II closed his eyes, hoping the tears would stop once he shut them. However, they didn't end, but instead trickled down faster and he turned away from Sofia and the crowd. He opened his eyes and his whole body shook with surprise when he saw the woman in front of him.

"You're...you're not in the mirror," Roland II said as his mouth dropped, "Why...why aren't you there? How did you...what...?"

"The mirror is a very strange mirror, isn't it?" Miranda replied, grinning. Roland II reached his hand out to stroke her cheek, but his hand went right through it. "You can't touch me, Rolly, I'm sorry."

"I love you, darling. I wish I could have saved you. I should have saved you. I want you to come back. Please visit me everyday through the mirror. I love you so much," Roland II spat out. He fought hard to contain his emotions, but his feelings took over and controlled him. His weeping became louder and the hurt in his eyes increased.

Miranda frowned sympathetically and said, "I love you too, Rolly. Yet, I wouldn't be able to see you all the time and I wouldn't be able to come back. I'm always here with you though, even when you can't see me, I'm going to be there." She shifted her eyes towards Sofia and smiled, then spoke again, "Don't beat yourself up about saving me...I couldn't have been saved nor did I want to if it meant our children being killed. But I know someone who you could save..."

Roland II turned around and stared at Sofia, then looked back to Miranda but she was gone. The two of them knew that that was the last time they would ever see her.

He whipped around again to look at Sofia and gazed into her suffering eyes. He lifted up his arms and Sofia flinched for it was a habit she always had around her father's movements. However, he didn't hit her, punch her, or slap her, but instead, he wrapped his arms tightly around his fragile daughter. This time he was not afraid to cry and he let out all his tears which landed on Sofia's soft hair.

And she heard four words that she hadn't heard for two years...

"I love you, Sofia."

* * *

Note: THIS IS NOT THE END...but it's getting close. :( Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and I hope it made you have feels 'cuz I know I had a ton of them. So, yeah, I don't hate Roland (I think I said that in the beginning), he's actually one of my favorites. I don't know what else to say, but if you want more Cedikins, you'll get him in the next chapter.

To CedricAmber: Your review made my day! I'm glad you're alright with me writing dark stuff. I'll probably start writing dark stuff again once I post my happy one-shots. I'm trying my very best to update soon; usually when I write stories, I get bored in the middle, then near the end, my mind goes nuts and I have to get all my ideas written. Also, I haven't started college yet; I start at the end of August! SUPER EXCITED.

Also, to AquaTurquoise: I read your last story (which was adorable) and I read that you had surgery and I wanted to tell you that I hope you feel better! Cuz I'm too shy to write reviews on other people's pages. It was also funny. I lost my ring and she lost her apron and the day you posted it, I found my ring. It had been missing for a month.


	14. Chapter 14 - Ending the Fight

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First.

Chapter 14: Ending the Fight

Things around the castle flipped completely around. Immediately after Sofia and her father had their moment at Cedric's so-called 'execution', Roland II had him released. Wormwood flew to his master and flew around him a few times before landing on his shoulder. Cedric scratched his raven affectionately who cawed happily to receive love. When Cedric was helped off the stake, the crowd cheered to see the man still alive. Cedric's father ran up to him, embracing him tightly while his mother squeezed his cheeks.

The last two weeks had been extremely awkward for Sofia and Roland II. At dinner, Roland II would try to start conversation with Sofia and she would cooperate, of course; however, there was much tension between them and the talk would end quickly. Sofia could tell he was still suffering with grief and it would worry the princess; she didn't want her father to experience any more pain, yet she didn't know how to help him.

Sofia was now able to talk to her siblings, Amber and James, again. The first thing the twins did when they saw their sister was tackle her to the ground with hugs. Recently, they've been trying to catch up on everything; it was hard to tell each other everything that has happened in the past two years. They would spend hours in the castle garden just talking about it. Sofia was overjoyed to hear that Amber began courting with a handsome man named Prince Adam and that James was doing well in the Flying Derby races. All she had to tell them was that her magic lessons with Cedric had been wonderful; she didn't want to tell them about her adventures with Cedric yet.

All in all, things were alright for Sofia and her family, though she wishes that it would be a little bit better. For right now, she was just thrilled to have her father back.

* * *

Sofia knocked on the door of Cedric's workshop which resulted in a loud boom and the grumpy sorcerer groaned. He opened the door and looked at the princess in front of him.

"Ah, Sofia, I haven't seen you in weeks!" Cedric exclaimed, gesturing her to come in, "Are you here for magic lessons? We haven't had them in a while."

Sofia could sense that he missed having her company and she couldn't blame him; for two weeks, she didn't show up for lessons or even go to talk to him. As she thought about it, she realized how it was very unlike her to not visit Cedric.

"Oh," Sofia uttered, "I'm sorry, I'm not here for that at the moment, but maybe later today." Cedric nodded his head and went to clean up his failed potion. Sofia frowned; she should apologize for abandoning him for two weeks, especially after all he's done for her. "Mr. Cedric, I'm sorry I haven't been visiting you lately. I guess I got carried away with catching up with my siblings and trying to mend my relationship with my dad."

Cedric looked at her as if she said something wrong and replied, "There's nothing to worry about, my dear, I completely understand. You haven't spoken to them in years and fixing your relationship with your father is way more important than sorcery class."

She wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic with his last remark and he could see that she was confounded, so he said, "I'm serious." Then, he gave her a playful smile. "So, why are you here, then?"

"I'm actually here to thank you," Sofia stated, causing Cedric to gaze up at her with lost eyes, "You helped me get my father back."

Cedric shook his head as he walked up to her and said, "No, Sofia, don't thank me for that. You did that all on your own. I was tied to a post, remember?"

Sofia half-smiled, then went on, "But you were always there for me. You listened to me when I told you about my problems and you were so supportive of me. You protected me when I was in danger and you tried your very best to keep me out of harm's way. When I cried, you consoled me and told me everything was going to be okay. You reassured me that things do get better and that I do mean something to others. You reminded me to never give up even in the hardest situations. You mean so much to me, Mr. Cedric. I don't know how to repay you."

Cedric's heart shattered into a million pieces; he was touched. This was the kindest thing anyone has ever said to him and Sofia has said a lot of nice things. However, this one made a special place in his heart.

He wrapped his arms around her and said, "You don't have to repay me. Friends do things for each other when they care about them, not because they want to have something done for them in return. I care about you and I don't need you to repay me."

Sofia returned his hug, taking in the smell of herbs on his dark purple robe. Then, she saw a glimpse of something shining in the corner of her eye. She released Cedric and took a better look at the object she saw. _Owlly's Mirror...why is it in Mr. Cedric's workshop? _She wondered to herself. She whipped around to face Cedric to hear an explanation and he was sure going to give her one; however, he didn't seem too pleased to tell her.

"Your father...he tried to step in the mirror a few days ago," Cedric admitted, twiddling his wand around nervously, "I'm not sure if you know this but once you step into the mirror..."

"You can never return," Sofia finished, breathlessly. She was stunned; her father didn't want to live in this world anymore. Was he that desperate for his wife or was guilt eating him up? Sofia didn't know—she was afraid to know; she didn't like to see her father troubled.

Cedric nodded, staring at the ground and said, "Yes, that's right. He...um" he was having a hard time confessing this to her; she was already heartbroken as it is, "He told me to come to his room once I was finished making a potion. So, once I was finished, I went to his room and knocked on his door a few times. He wouldn't answer. I was beginning to worry, so I pushed the door slightly and saw him half-way through the mirror. So I used my wand to get him out and I made the mirror transport to my workshop..."

Sofia looked at Cedric in horror; she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her poor father...she expected that life would get better for the both of them. Now, she believed that life will always have suffering with it and there's nothing she could do about it.

"Why did he need you anyway?" Sofia asked, yearning to get to the bottom of this situation.

"He wanted to apologize for attempting to burn me on a stake and abusing me," Cedric replied, turning his attention back to his potion and gathered the ingredients to start a new one.

Sofia dropped her eyes and frowned. Her father apologized to Cedric, but not her? He has hurt her for two years and only harmed Cedric for a day or two, yet he doesn't feel the need to apologize to her? _Maybe Cedric was wrong_...She thought..._maybe things do get better but you're still so unhappy about it. _She was starting to lose hope in her family once again.

She sighed, shuffling to the door, but Cedric stopped her. "What's wrong?" he asked, feeling as if something was up since she wasn't so joyful; yet again, her father did almost attempt to kill himself. Cedric just wanted to make sure she was okay.

"Nothing," she responded, backing away from the door. She nearly opened up to him about it, but she decided against it. Why worry him even more?

"You sure?" he insisted, but seeing her nod her head made him change the subject, "Do you want to do magic now? I could use some help from my favorite apprentice!"

Sofia grinned at his persuasive words and said, "Yes, let's do some magic!" She slide her wand out of her shirtsleeve and waved her wand in the air.

"Excellent!" Cedric exclaimed, reaching for his wand as well, "So, Sofia, what do you want to start with? I'll let you choose. We could do defense spells or stupid little show tricks. Oh! I can show you how to turn rocks into ravens! You could have your own Wormy if you master this spell!" She giggled when Wormwood sighed as he rolled his eyes.

"Actually, Mr. Cedric, I was wondering if you could help me destroy Owlly's Mirror," Sofia requested, knowing that asking this would be a long shot.

Cedric blinked a few times, then understood why she longed to do that. She didn't want her father to try to kill himself again. The sorcerer smiled compassionately and argued, "Well if you did that, you wouldn't be able to see your mother anymore."

"I know, but I don't need a mirror to reassure me that my mother is still with us," Sofia protested, smiling at the thought that she knew her mother was right by her side, "And neither does my father."

Cedric shook his head, chortling and said, "You're growing up too fast for me, Sofia. You're growing mature, even more mature than a normal sixteen year old girl should be. Sometimes, I still see you as that little girl who entered the royal life so confused yet full of life. You learn so fast, my dear."

Sofia's lips twisted into a grin, however, she really did want know if she could get rid of the mirror.

"Nevertheless," he continued, "if you want to destroy the mirror, then repeat after me." He aimed his wand at the mirror and chanted, "Mirror of the afterlife, be gone and end my fight!"

Sofia hesitated; the spell was really strange and it didn't make much sense to her. Yet, she said the spell and watched the mirror shake violently. Cedric clutched her arms and pulled them as far away as they could be from the mirror.

"Don't look at the mirror!" he shouted, covering her eyes with one hand, "The mirror will try to trick you into keeping it. Your mother will appear, but it's not really her, okay? Whatever you hear, don't listen to it. If you see her, you will be trapped in the mirror forever. Whatever you do, don't give in!" He shut his eyes too; he knew it wasn't going to be hard for him, but it was definitely going to be difficult for Sofia.

Sofia gulped; she didn't expect destroying the mirror would be this difficult. She held onto Cedric's arm and closed her eyes as tight as she possibly could. She could hear the mirror began to shatter and even though her eyes were closed and Cedric had his hand over her eyes, she could see bright lights.

"Sofia..." a voice called her and she could feel Cedric's hand push on her eyes harder, "why are you doing this to me? I thought you loved me? Do you not LOVE ME? WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME?"

"I love you, mom!" Sofia screamed, opening her eyes but they were still covered by Cedric's hand. He could feel her eyelashes brush against his hand.

"Don't listen to her, Sofia. That's not your real mother. Don't talk to her, it will only make her stay longer. Close your eyes, please," he yelled.

Sofia did as she was told and shut her eyes. Her 'mother' continued to taunt her, questioning whether Sofia truly loved her and why she would destroy the mirror. Each time she would speak, Sofia would get an unbearable urge to talk to her, but she kept her mouth shut. She even placed her hands to her mouth to get her to not talk.

The light disappeared and so did the sounds of shattering and the pleading woman. Cedric let go of Sofia's eyes and she opened them, looking around at the room before her. The mirror was gone.

* * *

Note: Hey, this was longer than I expected. Chapter 15 will be the last chapter to this series. It's so bittersweet. Anyway, in the next chapter, you'll find out what the spell means and of course, there's more but I don't wanna spoil it. ;) Also, someone returns! You can guess if you want. Hint: it's not Miranda lol. I had to rewrite this chapter a few times; it probably would have been out last night, but I didn't like the way it was.

To AquaTurquoise: Thanks. You're so nice! :D and to CedricAmber: August 31st is when I start college! My birthday is in August too!


	15. Chapter 15 - Forgiveness

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First.

Chapter 15: Forgiveness

"Well, if we're destroying things, why don't we destroy the emerald as well?" Cedric suggested, a sarcastic smirk curling on his face.

Sofia laughed and said, "Ha, ha, very funny, but I would like to keep that emerald!" She glanced at the ground, wondering if she should consider demolishing that as well. She felt as if she was trying to get rid of everything that reminded her of 'that time'. However, she decided that keeping the emerald was the best decision—it helped her father change, so why destroy it?

"Was it hard letting go of the mirror?" Cedric asked, "I mean...I know that you were ready for it but that doesn't mean it wasn't hard."

Sofia looked at him, deadpanned; she wasn't exactly sure how she felt. There was a tugging feeling in her heart yet there was also relief, almost as if she's starting anew.

She shrugged her shoulders and admitted, "I guess it was a little hard. The first time I ever knew about that mirror was when my mom appeared in it. When she started talking to me, I immediately regretted my decision of destroying it. I felt like I was destroying her home...destroying her.." She sighed, "Why did it have such an effect on me if it wasn't truly my mother?"

"Because even though you knew it wasn't your mother, you still had a sliver of hope that it was. That's what the mirror does, gives you hope," Cedric explained, then frowned, "Well, I should probably rephrase that, it's what it wants you to think. You believe that all hope is lost when a loved one dies, am I correct?"

The princess nodded, interested in learning more and he continued, "Well, the receiver of the mirror believes that hope will be restored when using that mirror; they get to see their loved ones and they won't be sad ever again. However, what the mirror actually does is possess you. It actually fills you up with more grief than what you started with, sometimes it will lead a person to insanity. You said you saw your mother in the mirror, how did you feel afterwards?"

"Well, I felt happy to see her yet upset that she couldn't stay long, but it didn't lead me into insanity!" She exclaimed, worry filling in her eyes.

"I know," Cedric stated, "Your mother knew that if she stayed too long, you would probably go insane. Even with your father, she would only come to him when he really needed help. However, even though she only visited you for a few minutes, do you realize the effect it had on _you_?"

The young princess tilted her head to the side in confusion and he continued, "Well, you got the emerald and I told you its powers. I specifically told you time traveling is dangerous and what did you do? You did it anyway because it was your last chance to make it right. You knew that the medicine section of the forest was highly dangerous, you refused to turn back even when you saw that terrible..." he shivered just thinking about it, "creature. You wouldn't turn back because again, it was your last chance to make things right. You fought so hard to end you and your father's suffering."

Sofia stood there in shock; she didn't realize how desperate she was to save her family that she was willing to do impulse and dangerous things.

"The spell...'be gone and end my fight', does that mean end the grief?" She concluded, "Why couldn't the spell just say 'be gone and end my grief'?"

Cedric chucked and said, "Well, spells have to rhyme, Sofia! Life and grief don't rhyme," then he scrunched his brows down, "Hm, life and fight don't really rhyme either...whoever created that spell is really bad at rhyming. Anyway, I guess it would mean to end your struggle of living with grief. However, the mirror wants you to keep suffering and that's why it's so difficult to get rid of it."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and Cedric groaned, shouting, "I swear if it's Baileywick, I will slam the door in his face! I don't need another reminder to work on that ridiculous potion!"

He slammed his feet down while walking to the door. He rolled his eyes then opened it but quickly closed it to show the visitor that he wasn't welcome. He gasped as his eyes widen when he realized that it was not Baileywick.

He flew open the door and with an innocent smile blurted, "Oh, Your Majesty, I'm so sorry! I thought it was Baileywick, ha, ha, it's a little joke we do with each other. I open the door and slam it in his face...ha, very funny, am I right?"

Sofia looked at the ground and broke out giggling madly. _I guess Mr. Cedric's back to being nervous around my dad..._Sofia wondered as she watched Cedric wave his wand around haphazardly, a movement he did when he was nervous.

Roland II raised his eyebrow, but decided to ignore Cedric's silliness; he had more important things to accomplish right now. "It's quite alright, Cedric, though I don't think you should do that to Baileywick. Anyway, I need to talk to Sofia," Roland II glanced at Sofia and smiled.

"Oh, yes, of course," Cedric said, ushering the princess out of his workshop, "We were just talking and working on spells."

"Remember to breathe, Mr. Cedric," Sofia whispered in his ear before stepping out, "Goodbye! I'll see you tomorrow!" She quickly hugged him and began walking down the spiral staircase with her father who waved so long to Cedric.

"Goodbye," Cedric called, beginning to close his door, then abruptly opening it again, "Oh and if you see Baileywick, tell him to not disturb me if he wants me to finish the potion!" Then he slammed the door, stomping back to make the potion.

Roland II peered back at the workshop door, stopping and asked, "I thought they were friends?"

Sofia nodded her head and said, "Yes, they are but they do have their moments. Cedric and Baileywick don't agree on everything and it annoys both of them greatly." She giggled, reminiscing all the times Baileywick and Cedric would bicker over the dumbest things.

Roland II grinned, then frowned. He remembered how he would see the two of them, walking down the castle corridors, simply talking. However, it would infuriate Roland II for some reason and he would yell at them to get back to work. He wasn't sure what went over him for two years; in fact, he doesn't recall most of it, but he does know he made a scar on Sofia's trust.

"I have something or should I say someone for you," Roland II declared, holding up a shaking bunny with wide eyes, "I believe this is the bunny that you would talk to at times? Cedric's parents, Goodwin and Winifred, dropped him off this morning along with your suitcase. They said he was a good little bunny and that he really liked to eat."

Sofia gasped when she saw her old friend in her father's hands. She took Clover in her arms and hugged him as tight as she could. "It's Clover!" she exclaimed, "He does love to eat and I'm going to give him a treat as soon as I can! I missed him so much!"

Clover shot up at Sofia when he heard the word 'treat'. "Awh, thanks, kid! I missed you too, Sof!" His eyes drifted over to Sofia's dad and said, "Is...uh...he mad?"

"Nope, he's different now," Sofia whispered as soft as she could, winking. Clover grinned at hearing the good news and snuggled into Sofia's arms.

"He's a cute bunny," Roland II admitted, scratching Clover behind the ears as the bunny closed his eyes in contentment, "But uh, I need to talk to you. I...uh..."

Sofia stared at her father, anticipating to hear the words that wanted to fall out of his mouth. Clover was all ears too; he perked his head up, glancing back and forth at Sofia and Roland II. The king kept stammering; whatever he needed to say obviously was making him uneasy, so Sofia reached out her free hand and held her father's hand.

"Whatever you need to tell me, you can say it. Just remember I will always love you and will never judge you," Sofia assured him as she squeezed his hand to support him.

Roland II smiled and replied, "Why are you so amazing, Sofia?" He cleared his throat and drilled his eyes into hers, guilty, "I have been needing to do this for a while. I'm...I'm so sorry for the way I treated you for the past two years. Everything I did was completely unacceptable and I should have never even thought about doing it. I let my grief control me and I should have fought it. I know that I have ruined our relationship and I have damaged your trust, not just in me, but in others as well. When you came to the castle, I didn't expect I would get such a kind and beautiful daughter and I have taken advantage of you. I'm so sorry."

He dropped his head in shame, but Sofia took her hand and lifted his chin. "I forgive you. I really appreciate your apology and I know that it will be hard for me to gain my trust in you again. However, I really want to try to get our relationship back on track." Tears were beginning to pour down her face and her father wiped them away. "I love you so much, dad. You're everything and more I want in a dad."

Her father embraced his crying princess and together, they sobbed. They both knew that they loved each other with all their heart. No matter what obstacles they faced, they were positive that they could get through it.

He kissed her on the cheek and said, "I love you too, Sofia." However, their moment was cut short when her father noticed that Clover had his little arms hugging the his chest.

They laughed as they let go, wiping their eyes and sniffling. Sofia rubbed Clover's back and looked down at him with a playful eyebrow raised. The bunny just shrugged and said, "Hey, you know how much I like happy endings."

"Well, I will see you at dinner. I'm sure you want to catch up with Amber and James again," he stated, preparing himself to leave but was surprised to see his daughter shake her head.

"Actually, I was wondering if you and I could have tea in my not-so secret garden," Sofia said, "I want to catch up with you too." She grinned when she saw her father smile.

Roland II said, "I'd love to, but with every tea party, there has to be snacks and may I suggest jiggly wiggly pudding?"

Sofia nodded her head and agreed, "Of course!" She reached for her father's arm and the two of them continued to walk down the spiral staircase.

Cedric, on the other side of the door, heard every word along with his pet raven, Wormwood. The bird cooed and Cedric glanced at his pet, grinning excitedly.

"See, Wormy, I'm always right, aren't I?" he bragged, stirring the ingredients in his potion pot and the bird cawed in agreement.

THE END

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Note: Oh my goodness. This is it. I'm done. I'm so sad though, like I'm crying lol. By the way, if you don't understand what Cedric said at the end, then I'll explain it to you. Also, if you have any questions about the story, I'll answer those as well.

A BIG THANK YOU TO MY READERS AND REVIEWS. I shall give a shout-out to the people who reviewed right now. THANK YOU TOOOOOO: CedricAmber, Sweetkindangel Moonlight, Luiz4200, theblindwriter95, AquaTurquoise, theOliviaOcti, Lilactime, AnonymousCracker, LongLiveNiNoKuni, The Movie Addict, and the people who were on guests. THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING. You didn't have to yet you did and I appreciate that so much.

To theOliviaOcti: Hey! If you happen to draw it, could you please show me? I'd love to see it.

To LongLiveNiNoKuni: Back in chapter 5 or 6, you said that you thought that the mirror had something to do with Roland II's behavior and you were correct! I just didn't want to tell you at that time, 'cuz you know, spoilers. ;)

To AquaTurquoise: I haven't seen Oculus; I looked it up when I saw this review and it looks really good though! So I wasn't inspired by that. However, I was inspired by Davy Jones in POTC. (almost looks like POTO lol. In case you don't know, that's Phantom of the Opera) Davy Jones was so upset that Calypso betrayed him that he went full on villain. Roland II was full of grief that he took his anger out on Sofia. If you want, look up Davy Jones theme. It's a beautiful piece and you can hear the contrast between sadness and anger.

Thanks for reading. :) Have a wonderful day and God bless!


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